Dust

(A/N: Listen y'all this one is a lil darker than the previous chapters so please be warned. Other than that, get comfy, get something to drink, maybe some tissues, and enjoy!)

The screams got louder the closer the heroes came to their next opponent, such fear-fulled screams slowly become soothing for some of the cities heroes, some of which it never lost the bone-chilling fear that they could be next. It was hard to imagine being those running down the streets, waiting and praying the heroes of Paris to make it fast enough before you're the one that gets hurt. Part of the job was unknowingly seeing the worst in people, how selfish they become when it's their choice who lives or dies.

Adrien had been plagued with nightmares about the time he saw a mother push their kid in front of her so she'd have enough time to get away.

Luka watched relationships shatter as boyfriends and girlfriends alike left their partners in the dust. He could still remember the blood-curdling screams of a girl before she got frozen

(Y/N) watched the world fall apart through their visions, and Marinette did her best to fix it with her charms.

But the ladybugs could only do so much. People are brought back to life, the harmed healed, but nothing erased those memories. Nothing reversed those things, nothing could take those moments of complete betrayal away from those inflicted with it, a fact that brought forth a villain fueled by vengeance.

***

Chat Noir made it first, and he was the first to get hit. He was sent flying into a building, a spurt of blood escaping his lips as he shouted in a mix of shock and pain. "Be careful! This one's a hitter!" he shouted, a smirk playing on his lips as he steadied himself on the closest roof "Good thing I like a challenge."

"That attitude of his is going to get him killed one of these days," Raven muttered bitterly as they looked at Ladybug, who was fixed with her feet on the gabled roof as she muttered to herself. "Bug? You got a plan yet?" Raven asked, slightly louder than usual to snap the hero next to them back to reality. They were drawing cards left and right, summoning as many things as they could to get people out and protect those who were stuck "My back hurts from carrying this missions so far."

"Oh, would you hush for two seconds so I can think!" Ladybug shouted,

"Those two seconds could be the difference between Chat being alive to help and Chat being out of commission until you can get those two brain-cells rubbing together, now hurry the hell up!" Raven commanded, diving over the roof and meeting with Chat to hold the massive, angry thing off. The monster was huge, fast, and smart- the worst combination. Raven's shields only did so much as the two tried to figure out where the hell the Akuma could possibly be. "Chat, you okay?" Raven huffed, cutting off a leg with a sword only for it to regenerate in seconds.

"Never better," Chat groaned, dodging what had to have been the hundredth instance of falling debris "Where's our glorious leader?"

"Busy twiddling her thumbs," Raven spat, making another grab for a potential Akuma spot, only for nothing to come of shattering it on the ground. They didn't have time to be annoyed, making a desperate dive as to not be crushed by the villain's steps. "Ladybug if you don't get your ass down here your miraculous is gonna need a new holder!"

Finally, Ladybug was jumping between roofs, getting closer to the battle as Raven dodged a car making an aerial beeline for them "Go for the necklace!"

"Yes ma'am!" Chat shouted with a salute before climbing the villain before it had a chance to react and snatching it from their neck, only for the necklace to not give. It was stuck in its place. "It's not breaking!" he shouted.

"Use your cataclysm!"

"I can't! I might kill whoever's in here!" Chat shouted, a desperate look in his eyes "One slip of my hand, and they're done for!" It was dangerous enough to be on the thing's shoulder, let alone arguing on it.

Raven threw a forcefield up, keeping the thing in a mile radius to keep the damage to a minimum as soon as they knew everyone was out.

***

The thing about the forcefield was that nothing could get out, but nothing could get in. Which meant this fight was three on one with no chance of help. Viperion was feet away from joining the fray, running as fast as he could across nearly every roof in Paris, constantly calling Raven to tell them to wait for him before trying anything too dangerous.

Then he saw the purple light go up, sealing in a perfect dome at the top, closing just before he could get his hand in. He pounded on the fortress, causing the light to ripple and dance where his fist had landed, shouting as he watched Raven get hit by debris and fall to their knees, rolling away just before a light post could pierce through their leg.

His gaze flickered to Chat, frozen on the thing's shoulder as Ladybug shouted at him. Why the hell wasn't she doing anything? Why was she sitting there barking orders while everyone else was risking life and limb to get everyone out alive?

***

"My lady, please, just get down here and help! Raven can do so much while they keep the forcefield up!" Chat shouted, tears streaking down his face, terrified to kill the victim paralyzed in their emotions and the control of Hawkmoth. The blond almost fell as the villain whirled around, catching himself by digging his nails into their shoulder.

"You don't understand! I'm not seeing anything that'll help us except your ring!" Ladybug shouted, "I can't do anything!"

"Because you're so dependent on your fucking powers!" Raven roared, visibly shaking from the effort of slowing the thing down and keeping the rest of Paris out of the battle zone. "Chat, You can figure something else out don't listen to this nutjob!"

"But-"

"Just listen to me for two seconds!" Raven shouted, sidestepping more debris "The entire principle of the miraculous is to protect. If Ladybug's powers aren't working and yours are," they ducked, slicing through a slab of concrete "Then you're the one that can do this. Come on,"

Chat nodded, looking for something, anything to tell him what to do. Suddenly, the world was black and white- everything but the ring in the thing's nose. He went for it, sliding it out with ease as he swung from their shoulder to the ground.

He didn't have a chance to be proud of himself, the screams of Raven cut off his mini-celebration. He whirled around, their foot was facing the wrong way, another slab of concrete making its way to the hero as they screamed in pain, the forcefield shattering.

Before he knew what he was doing the Akuma was being tossed to Ladybug and his power was activated, sliding to hold their head with his left hand and catch the concrete with his right. Only after the concrete smashed into the ground inches away from them did he look down. His now black ring touching (Y/N)'s waist, the concrete was intact.

He looked to the alleyway next to him, watching the realization fall upon Viperion as he arrived, ready to fight. Chat looked away sobbing, frozen and unable to see the face of the man who loved Raven so strongly. 

The entire world now escaped Chat Noir as he let out the worst scream any of the heroes had ever heard. The confident hero had missed his target, and now Raven was turning to dust.

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