Translates to Lady Justice or Queen Justice. Whichever one you like. Set after Season 5 episode 9, Exaltation. In other words, the marichat episode. As usual they are like 18 here.

"So the reason you don't like me like that anymore is because you are in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

It was the first thing Chat Noir heard from behind him, making him jump.

"Woah, m'ladybug. You scared me! How did I not hear you?" He muttered the last part more to himself, scratching his fake ears wondering why they didn't pick her usual light, but noticeable, footing up.

"You know that Marinette will be targeted more now that you kissed her when Hawkass could see everything."

"I kno-How did you know that?" He turned to face her quickly, his face scrunched and his lips pursed in suspicion. He didn't even have time to unpack everything she said.

"Hmmm. I wonder," she smirked at him and in her eyes there was a look, as if she knew more than she let on. She sat next to him and leaned into him, her face still smug, "So."

Despite himself knowing she was just teasing him, he couldn't help but gulp, "So?" He mirrored, his voice a higher pitch.

"Marinette, huh?"

"Uh. Yes."

"You like her."

"Yes- but why are you- stop... stop smirking. What is with you today? You're being weird."

"Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir. Hmm."

At that moment Chat's heart began racing. Why she was saying both of his names, he wouldn't know, "What are you talking about?"

Truthfully, Ladybug knew. Or she had a pretty good idea of who he was. It wasn't that hard to figure it out and it's not like she meant to. But the coincidences were too much and her mind always came to the same conclusion. She was 89% sure that it was him.

"I have a plan," she changed the subject and her face moved away as she decided to look at Paris, her city, still gleaming in the darkness.

"A plan," he deadpanned, almost annoyed that she wasn't making any sense.

"Yes but it involves Marinette getting akumatised. And if this is going to work, I think we should tell each other our identities once and for all."

"Ladybug... did you eat something you were not supposed to? A brownie perha-Ow- M'lady. Stop- no stop hitting me- argh- what is wrong with you today?" He grabbed both her hands to prevent her from attacking him any further (even though he probably deserved it for that comment).

"There is nothing wrong with me. Ugh. I can't believe you just said that!"

"Really? Because you have been acting quite weird around me recently."

"Ignoring that," she withdrew her hands from his hold and held them up defensively, "I know it sounds risky-"

"It is more than risky. Its dangerous! What do you even want Marinette for anywsshh-" She quickly clamped one of her, now free, hands on his mouth and sighed.

"Can you just let me explain without butting in?

He just nodded and she could feel him pout from under her hand. Cute, she thought. She put her hand down.

"I spoke to Tikki and... and Rena. We know the risks. Things could go wrong. But we have a big chance of ending this once and for all," she looked at him, her eyes becoming glazed with sadness and her mouth moving into a thin line, "It's been three years, Chaton. Three years too long. And now that he's become Monarch, our chances of winning are dwindling into nothing."

(Let's just say that miraculous season 1 to 5 happened over the span of 3 years because cartoon logic makes no sense and I want to fix it.)

Notwithstanding his confusion, Chat Noir matched her solemn face and placed a hand on her shoulder, softly patting it, "We will get him."

"I know. But only if we take the risk."

"But last time-"

"Last time we didn't know we were being influenced. This time we'll have the upper hand."

"And Marinette? Why her? What does she have to do with anything?"

"Think about it kitty. Why would I ever decide to endanger a normal Parisian girl?"

"But you wouldn't. I know you m'lady. You just wouldn't."

"Then why?"

Something was nagging at him. But he didn't have a chance to ask until now, "You said Rena. As in Alya. Is she the one who knows your identity?"

"Yes. She does. And since you know Rena is Alya, I think it's safe to say I definitely know who you are now, Adrien."

"But- what- how-" he sighed, "You know what? I'm not even going to deny it."

"Well. I had my suspicions. I mean what was the chance that both Adrien and Chat Noir had liked someone and then moved onto Marinette at around the same time. And the fact that you know Alya is Rena. There is only two other people I know who knows. And you're not Nino."

He just sat there in silence, a million thoughts running through his head, all at once. Realisation dawned on him.

"You're Marinette aren't you?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Yup."

"So I moved on from Ladybug to be with Marinette but they're the same person."

"Mhmm."

"And you moved on from Adrien because of Chat."

"Yes, kitty."

"We're idiots."

"Definitely."

"Three years we've been dancing around each other. Where we've been dealing with our feelings for two people and they turn out to be one."

"Pretty much."

"Ugh we are idiots. If this was a TV show, Paris would be infuriated."

"The whole world would be."

"Do you think they would throw, like, flour on us or something? Or worse, flour when it's raining."

She barked out a laugh as his stance stiffened at the thought. Two, or even just a year ago, she wouldn't have believed that Adrien Agreste would be so inclined to act like his cat counterpart. But getting to know him, really know him. It made her realise just how much she initially ignored about him. Both, as Adrien and Chat. Now she wanted to embrace him. She just wanted him to be himself around her. Have the freedom he had as Chat and let it bleed into his civilian life. Even if it was only around her.

"By the way. Your plan is absolutely insane. But, if it's going to happen, we need to account for every detail."

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey skip...

The plan took almost a month to perfect.

In that time, Adrien and Marinette had become much closer, though, during school they had decided that they would try not to show the difference in their relationship so people wouldn't notice how close they really were.

Since Alya knew that Marinette was Ladybug, Adrien decided that it would be easier for her to know who he is as well and, not wanting his bro to feel left out, both Marinette and Adrien had sat their best friends down and told them the big secret. (They did make sure neither of them had their Gabriel rings. Adrien and Marinette didnt trust the tech at all. Alya and Nino quickly stopped using them altogether after that.)

From then on, Nino joined in on the planning of operation J- which stood for justice (Alya had already been part of the plan- she just didn't know Adrien was Chat Noir until they told her and Nino together).

The base of operations was Marinette's room and all the plans were kept in the miracle box (since it wasn't actually being used, it was the perfect place) which was hidden in the sewing box Marinette had made to disguise the box that looked like a ladybug themed football (it was a dead giveaway but, curse the miraculous magic, luckily, Marinette was creative).

For extra measure, they put it in the treasure chest and, only Tikki and Plagg knew where the key was, always bringing it when they needed it. Not even Marinette knew where they put it.

Adrien thought the whole thing was genius. Just when he thought Marinette couldn't be more amazing than she already was, she surprised him spectacularly.

He was still a little reluctant to carry out the plan but they had discussed all of the possible outcomes. They had strategies for everything they could think of would happened. Tikki and Plagg had helped them a lot to understand how Hawkmoth's power worked and the four young adults spent a lot of time looking through the notation on the grimoire, as well as Master Fu's own notes on deciphering it. 

They passed ideas around on how best to get Marinette akumatised but still be in charge of her own emotions. This was the longest part of the process, but it got easier when Marinette remembered something.

"Chameleon! Why didn't I think of it before?"

"Uh what?"

"Guys. When Lila left the bathroom, she wasn't angry. No. In fact she was quite smug after threatening me."

"She what?!?" Three voices shouted. Adrien, who had been dangling on the ladder of Marinette's bed in a seemingly impossible way, had shot up and almost bashed his head on the frame of the bed.

Marinette rolled her eyes at them, "That's not the point. The point is, how is it that she got akumatised? I mean, that akuma wasn't even meant for her. It was for me. Tikki helped me dispel it but, knowing Hawkmoth, he would have waited for me to get angry again. So what happened in between then and her getting akumatised?"

"But... I thought she got akumatised because of me?" Adrien said, his tone questioning. He was now sitting on the floor, having jumped down to prevent injuring himself further.

"Or... she used it as an excuse to get akumatised and she did," always the guy with the wacky, yet somehow mostly true theories, Nino added to their analysis of the situation.

"I'm not as good as Max but, I think I could get into the school cams and see what happened. Do you guys have a time frame that I can work with? And like, an area where she was akumatised?" Alya asked from where she was sitting cross-legged on the chaise with Nino.

And that's how they found out that Lila had snatched the akuma from the air and was able to negotiate with Hawkmoth quite easily.

(And if the mayor of Paris got sent an anonymous post of the exact footage during Hawkmoth's trials and immediately got the lawyers and the counter terrorism task force to investigate Lila further. Well... Let's just say that it was the biggest international crisis between Italy and France since the 1940s and soon, the whole world knew who Lila was. But not for what she wanted. It was a long time coming if you asked Adrien. She got what she deserved.)

Their plan was set into motion soon after.

The gist of it was that they would use Lila. Alya would tell her one of Marinette's 'secrets' and, knowing Lila, she would expose it to the whole class. Marinette would get so angry that she would storm out of the class and that should attract Hawkmoth to choose her as his next victim and she would be akumatised.

Anything Lila did infuriated Marinette so she wouldn't be faking it. But she would be aware of what she was doing.

Tikki herself explained how the prolonged exposure to the ladybug miraculous meant that her powers were bleeding through, causing Marinette herself to have the ability of purification (as well as some other abilities that came with the magic). Not to the extent of when her powers were used in transformation, but enough to dispel the corrupt effects of the Butterfly and still use it to find Hawkmoth.

It was a relief to all of them, especially Adrien, to know that the miraculous was protecting her.

He still came to her the night before and kissed her senseless, promising that after everything was over, he would take her to have dinner at the eiffel tower with the lights of Paris illuminating them.

He stayed for a bit longer, until he tired her out from his hungry kisses making it evident just how long he had wanted her. He had tucked her in and the last thing she remembered before drifting off was the warmth of his lips on her forehead and the creak of the trapdoor as he left her to sleep peacefully.

.....

Now, she was at the locker room, crying in frustration that Lila had told Adrien that she was using him to get connections in the fashion world- including his father.

Of course that wasn't true and Adrien knew it wasn't. But it did genuinely frustrate her that Lila thought of her like that.

So she focused on that. Those emotions. That anger. The annoyance. Everything she hated about the girl, she thought of. And Marinette was a girl who cried when she was frustrated. So that's what she did.

( I'm the type who when frustrated, I cry and Marinette seems like she would too.)

After a few moments, she saw a portal open and a butterfly fly out. Kaalki, she mused.

In the corner of her eye, she could see a glimpse of blond and green eyes peeking through the door and she almost hesitated before reaching out to the akuma and placing it in the ribbon she always had in her hair.

"I'm surprised. I thought when you would see my akuma, you would try to fight it off like before. But here you are willingly letting yourself be transformed."

"I'm tired Hawkmoth-"

"It's monar-"

"I want justice. From the people who have wronged me."

"And you will get it. As long as you give me the miraculous in return."

"Yes. Yes. But before we do this, is there any way I can choose the outfit. Because I'll have you know that most of the ones you've picked out are horrendous."

She could tell Adrien was trying his best not to laugh.

"I'll have you kn- no wait- do you really think- ugh you know what? Just put the image in your head and you will be able to turn into it I guess."

"Can I choose my own power too?"

She heard him sigh and she felt like snickering at his exasperation, "Yes you can."

She did as she was told and soon she was in a long red dress, which stopped at her knees on the front and flared out, almost like fire, at the back. Her sleeves were medium length, with the same shredded look as the bottom of the dress and her top was tight, clinging to her figure so much so that it strained the magical fabric. Her neck and a decent amount of cleavage was shown and overall, she looked more mature. There a sort of dark, ethereal feel to her which made her more intimidating, even moreso than when she donned her ladybug outfit.

Her hair was longer and her ribbon was enlargened, wrapped around her eyes just like the figure of justice. But she wasn't blind. Not exactly. She could feel everything and she knew where things were even if she couldn't exactly see them. She also had a sword, a similar one as the one she had seen with Joan. On the other hand was a yoyo. But it was not the thin one she used as a hero. It was a double wheeled one which was meant to resemble to sides of a scale, a homage to the lady of justice as well as her own alter ego who had fought for years for the city she vowed to keep safe.

"Dame Justice. You have been given the power to do as your namesake says. Bring justice to those who wronged through any means possible."

"So aren't you going to give me extra powers or something?"

"You don't have the ring on. I can't transfer any powers to you."

Penny in the air. Marinette- now Dame Justice thought.

"The ring?" She queried loudly knowing that by now Alya was recording everything for evidence, "Do you, by chance mean the Gabriel ring?"

"I was told you were quite clever. I guess my son was right. She is rather impressive," He must of forgotten to cut the connection as it sounded like he had been talking more to himself. He hadn't even realised what he had confirmed by telling her.

Penny dropped.

To be honest it didn't come as a shock to her. Or the others either.

During their planning, they decided to make a list of most likely suspects hawkmoth could be. Without any prompt, Marinette put in big letters at the top of the paper, GABRIEL AGRESTE.

None of them, not even Adrien, protested.

There were a few others on the list too, ones that were even more logical than the senior Agreste but all four of them agreed that he had the most potential of being a villain.

And how right they were.

.....

She had taken care of Lila. Exposed her on front of the class by touching her with the tip of her sword- Lila screamed bloody murder as if Dame Justice was going to chop her head off. Which really, she wouldn't have minded doing since the girl was annoying. But to spare her classmates the gore, she didn't- and displaying her memories through the yoyo- which worked like a projector among other things (like her actual one)- and showed them the confrontation between Marinette and Lila for what it was. Marinette calling her out and her admitting to it, threatening her in the process. The class had been enraged and miss Bustier had proceeded to call Lila's mother and take her to the principal's office to get her sorted out.

"Now go find Ladybug and Chat Noir. And bring me their miraculous."

"It is a wonder, hawkmoth, how daft you can be sometimes."

She was already on her way to him. She was almost there actually. And she knew Adrien was most likely already at his house, trying to find the entrance to his father's lair.

"What. Why are you saying that."

"I mean you gave yourself away really. And that was your biggest mistake."

"Tell me what you mean. What did you do?"

"Tell me hawkass. Don't you find it weird that Ladybug and Chat haven't come to me yet? I've made quite the commotion and I assume Alya has already put the video of me exposing Lila up."

"It is unusual, yes. But they'll come. They always do. And I will have their miraculous."

Dame Justice rolled her eyes at that but said nothing as she jumped from roof to roof, coming closer to the familiar energy that she had felt surround her. It took another few minutes for him to realise where she was headed.

"Why are you headed to the Agreste mansion? What did that Agreste boy do to you?"

She chuckled loudly and then scoffed, "You think I'd go there because of Adrien? The sweetest boy in existence?"

"Then who?"

"I told you, Hawkmoth. I want justice. From the people who wronged me."

"Yes I know th- what the hell?"

Chat Noir had come in with Nathalie- who was holding a crossbow and aiming it straight at the old man.

Dame Justice had found the window to the observatory- how the hell did we not realise that- and smashed it with her sword. She smirked in delight at the almost girlish scream he let out as his face jerked back and forth between the two arrivals before shaking the surprise off his face and immediately changing his stance, ready to defend himself.

Dame Justice walked towards him, alluringly,  causing the man to pause whatever he was about to do, as if he was in a trance. She made a small twirling motion to her hands which just looked dramatic to her foe but was actually a signal to Adrien to unlock the kwamis. Nathalie silently followed him with every intention of helping.

"Stop that. You're supposed to go get him. Go get the miraculous."

"Now," her teeth were showing as she grinned vindictively, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I order you to! Now do it or I'll take away your powers."

Her mouth closed and he thought she would obey but then a laugh came out of her. The type of laugh that you tried to hold in but would eventually try to break out regardless of whether the mouth was open or not.

She continued to walk towards him, her shoulders shaking in mirth at his obvious intimidated stature.

"I told you Gabriel. I. Want. Justice," her grin became more gritted as she snarled at the man, "And do you know who I want it most from?"

"I order you to step back!"

"You. Gabriel. I want justice to be served to the person who has been terrorising Paris for so long. To the person who has instilled fear into my people. I want justice for a the traumatised and fucked up minds from being akumatised becasue- maybe not to you because you have already been corrupted- the magic used on them has had more than an effect on them. I mean- poor Mr Ramier and I can't even begin to imagine what baby August would have to deal with from the aftereffects whilst he is growing up," she paused, realising she was ranting, and took the last step on front of him, "But most importantly, I want justice for the person who hurt my Adrien. I will not have him be treated like your puppet for any longer."

Since she was practically blind, her other senses were dialed up to eleven so when her boyfriend (she couldn't believe it. Her boyfriend!) muttered, "Holy shit that's so hot," under his breath, she inwardly smirked.

She drew her sword up to his throat, "Make a move and I will slit your throat."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh I definitely would. After all you have done. You deserve it."

"But then you wouldn't get your justice would you," he growled at her, "I'm taking the akuma back."

He tried to. He really did. She revelled in the fact that he was so concentrated on taking it back that he didn't even pay attention to what was going on behind him.

Nathalie was showing Chat how to get the kwamis out.

He raised his hand theatrically towards her, like doing so would change anything as he tried to recall her power.

But her own magic was repelling it. She could feel the pure energy coursing through her, just as much as it did when she was Ladybug. It was connected to her and it would fight back as much as she willed it to. The extra emphasis on justice just made it more powerful.

She knew he could feel something different about her, "Who are you? How are you doing that? What did you do to my akuma?"

But she didn't have time to answer because as if it was planned, all of the kwamis burst out of their cages and surrounded the two.

Gabriel immediately tried to unify the miraculous, despite knowing it would make him feel weak. But Chat Noir leapt behind him and muffled the man's mouth, clamping it shut.

"If you even think of speaking father," Gabriel's eyes widened at that, "I will activate my power. You wouldn't want that now, would you?"

And in that moment, Gabriel knew everything he had hoped for. Everything he had dreamed of since he had became hawkmoth. Everything he wished would happen in his life. It would all crumble into nothing.

Nathalie was already slipping the rings off of his struggling fingers silently. She never said anything but she looked at him with what he knew was a look she only saved for when she was genuinely angry. It was a look he had only seen one other time but had plagued his nightmares for longer than be would care to admit.

Dame Justice let her blindfold loosen and slip down her face to reveal her normal bright blue eyes replaced by a blinding white glow.

"Gabriel Agreste. Aliases: Hawkmoth, Shadowmoth, Scarletmoth, Monarch. I, Dame Justice have watched and I have determined. You have brought injustice to many people and for that, you will suffer the consequences. But I will not be the one to enforce that."

She grabbed the cloth that was now around her neck and tugged hard. With her strength, it ripped into two and a white butterfly flew out.

The villain made a noise of disbelief as what was Dame Justice turned back to Marinette Dupain Cheng. To what Gabriel had assumed was always a normal teenage girl who just happened to go to school with his son.

But she wasn't ordinary was she? She was far from it.

He couldn't stop Nathalie from passing the rings to her. He couldn't stop the mangy ca- his bloody son- from keeping his strong hold on him. He couldn't stop the girl from putting the rings on and he watched helplessly as they shrunk to fit her and changed to a rose gold colour with the emblems looking more like jewels than even he could muster.

Even with his mouth covered, he couldn't help but gape as the girl was tackled by a dozen or so god-like creatures and she didn't even blink an eye. In fact, she smiled widely and fretted them like they were old friends.

He didn't have time to dwell on it when she whispered words he couldn't quite hear and Marinette Dupain-Cheng turned into Ladybug  on front of his very eyes.

Of course.

How could he be so stupid?

This girl had tricked him time and time again even though it was so obvious.

"I, Ladybug. Guardian of the mother box of all miraculous, have made a vow to protect them. You have misused not just one, but seventeen of them, even going as far as destroying their sacred form and trapping the kwamis in the ultimate prison. You have used the miraculous, not for the good of the world, but to terrorise the people and for that, you will be judged. Not only by the court of law but by the court of magic. Whatever motives you have will be questioned but I think it is clear to all that at this moment it was just an excuse for power."

In a desperate last attempt, he lunged out of his son's arms and towards the girl, "How dare y- AAHH-"

A searing pain in his shoulder (of the arm that was already cataclysmed) stopped him and he looked back, horrified at the arrow that was stuck in his shoulder blade, the cause for the agony he felt spreading across his arm.

He felt his son rush towards his side, screaming at Nathalie, the perpetrator.

"Nathalie! You didn't have to do that."

With all of his remaining strength he turned towards the woman, crossbow still in hand, her anger subsided but no indication of regret for what she had just done.

"Why Nathalie?"

"I've spent years serving him Adrien. Years I have been keeping his secret, I have been enabling him. But his actions has caused him to neglect you and he deserves to be punished for it."

Her face remained impassive. But he could hear in her voice the genuine frustration that had been bottled up for all of those years, finally coming out into a calm type of fury.

"He won't die Adrien. Not yet anyway. Not when he has people to answer to."

And then he dropped to the floor.

She sighed and dropped the crossbow, "He's not the only one."

......

Long story short, Gabriel didn't die.

As soon as he had been hit, Ladybug had called the police and asked them to bring an ambulance.

As they waited, she had retrieved Nooroo- she would deal with Felix- who she knew from Nathalie had the peocock miraculous- later.

Her and Adrien had found a security camera that could provide evidence of everything Gabriel had done and planned in the room. It was damning really.

Though, they had made a deal with the people on the case that let them decide which parts could be seen, which was almost everything apart from the final 'battle' really.

They had to protect their identities but no one blamed them.

Instead they gave a verbal and written testimony of what happened and what lead to the events to happen.

It was quite tiring.

Gabriel and Nathalie were sworn to magical secrecy, courtesy of the order of the guardians, of who Ladybug and Chat Noir really were.

Both were put on trials- a public one recognised by the court of law and for the people of Paris to get their answers. But before that, a magical one had been conducted which determined that Gabriel (as well as Nathalie) was banned from using any magical artifact they ever came across.

Not that it would be much of a problem since it was looking like he would be in jail for quite a long time. Nathalie would be in for less, though depending on her testimony, the severity of her sentence would change. She was faced with charges of the assault of Gabriel using a weapon, however, which meant she would still be in for a considerable around of time.

During this time though, she would also be visited by healers from the miraculous order who would try heal the damage of the peocock when it was broken.

Speaking of- Emilie Agreste was found underneath the house in a butterfly conservatory resting, yet grasping for breath in a cryogenic coffin that was effectively slowing her body to keep her alive.

With Adrien's permission, she was taken to Tibet where the guardians worked on bringing her back to good health, though that would take a while as Emilie's body tried to catch up with her mind after being rigid for over 3 years.

Adrien was quickly cleared of any suspicion of knowing of his father's cruel actions when his name along with Alya, Nino and Marinette  came up in the list of the people involved in helping Ladybug and Chat Noir finish Hawkmoth's tyranny once and for all. It became known that Marinette was the akuma who managed to outsmart hawkmoth- though the knowledge of exactly how it happened was only given in snippets by the two superheroes. The four actually became quite recognised on the streets even before the trials ended because of it and they were each awarded a medal of honour for their achievement and bravery.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were given a slightly different award, which thanked them for all they had done in the last 3 years. They were also given a key to the city, a sentiment to show that they would always be trusted by the citizens of Paris.

It was overwhelming.

But it was a relief to the whole city.

Celebrations were heard on every corner of Paris for months on end, the people happy to be safe.

As promised, after everything had ended. After all the trials were complete and after justice was finally served on a fresh platter of baked goods. Chat Noir took Ladybug to the Eiffel Tower where they had a lovely dinner overseeing the whole of Paris.

And as they stood on the highest balcony of the tower, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm secured tightly around her waist,  Ladybug let all her worries and fears wash away.

Because they were all safe.

Down below, the new rocking melody sung by everyone's favourite rock star was being blasted by the Seine as people continued their celebrations well into the night.

"She's the lady of justice. She's the best. She would fight for Paris in a hot red dress..."

Tadaaah. I've been wanting to do a marinette will be akumatised for a while but I wanted one where Marinette is smart and uses it to her advantage. Because if marinette got akumatised she would probably be the best or the worst thing Paris would ever face.

Also I just wanted to write a fic that went with this drawing I made:

Imagine the song to the tune of the ballad of  Star Butterfly because I always thought Jagged and Ruberiot were similar.

I hope you liked it.

Bug out lovelies 😘