Okay, so...

I've been working on this project for a year now and I put a lot of effort into this.

It's really an honor for me to be able to finally upload it here on my Ao3 and I have to warn you - it's everything the tags promised.

It's going to be dark, it's going to be heavy and most of all, it's going to be a rollercoaster of emotions.

With that being said, I hope you know what you're in for... ;)

3laxx

You can check out my account under the same name and tumblr: awesomefreckledjesus

It was late, again, when Marinette finally woke up.

She rolled her eyes at Tikki's complaints that she was sleeping like a rock and quickly got up to get dressed and to collect her homework.

She smiled at her little Kwami who was glaring at her pointedly, crossing her little arms. But as soon as the bluenette promised her a cookie, her eyes lit up and she giggled again.

Marinette laughed along with her and shook her head as her Kwami hid in her purse. She always got her with cookies.

But now, she had to hurry. School had already started and she didn't want to be any later than she already was. Quickly she rushed down the stairs and thanked god it was summer so she didn't have to put on a jacket or something hindering. The girl almost fell at the last steps but was able to catch herself, run through the bakery and kiss her mother's, as well as her father's, cheek and run off to school.

Alya already waited for her, shaking her head as the bluenette snuck into the classroom.

"Seriously girl, when will you learn to be on time?", she laughed at her best friend and playfully nudged her shoulder, "Maybe something like this will give you the motivation… Adrien's always here a few minutes before the lessons start. You could talk to him while Chloé's not around."

Marinette's head snapped around when she had just pulled out her tablet and looked at Alya with a shocked expression.

"Have you even met me once before school?!"

"Since you've always slept in, no, I have not."

She rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point, Alya. I'm a horrible morning person…"

"Yeah, I can see that.", her best friend commented dryly.

"I would probably just scare him off."

Alya laughed quietly, careful not to disturb the lesson and thus send them both to the principal.

"You don't know that. And now, you wanna copy my notes?"

The bluenette gratefully nodded, taking Alya's notes to copy them. She also silently made a promise to herself to try and talk to Adrien today. Someday she did have to start, didn't she?

Suddenly, Alya nudged her a second time to get her attention and she looked over.

"What is it?", she mouthed.

Alya held up her index finger to motion her to wait and leant down to get something from her bag. When she straightened up again, she took one of Marinette's hands and began knotting something around her wrist. The bluenette finally got a good look at the bracelet and gasped silently.

"I found a how-to yesterday on Tumblr and I simply had to make you one, since you're always the one who's gifting me something.", her best friend explained.

The bracelet itself was knotted with really tiny knots, practically glowing in the colors pink, violet, blue, white and black. It must've taken Alya an eternity and probably the sacrifice of their geometry homework to finish it.

"Now I got to give you a present, too.", the brunette joked, before the bluenette's arms flung around her neck.

"Thank you, Alya! Thank you!", she whispered into her best friend's hair but quickly pulled back in fear their teacher would see that and give them detention.

"Hey, no prob. I just felt like it and had to think of you, so there you go."

Marinette smiled throughout the whole first lesson – or rather what was left of it.

After the first class was over she purposely only slowly packed her things so that she maybe would be able to talk to him. When she got up she ran right into a firm chest of someone, not noticing who it was before glancing up.

"A-Adrien! Wh-What a surprise! Heh-…"

He smiled down at her and held up the pen for her tablet.

"You dropped that. I thought you might want to have it back?"

She smiled fondly, hoping it would not be too wide, and shakily took the pen from his hand, shivering when their fingers touched. Alya quietly snickered while waiting for her at Nino's and Adrien's desk.

"Th-Thanks-… So, u-uh… Y-Yeah, thank you, I just wanted to-… Thank you, uh-… How about-…"

"Are you okay, Marinette?", he grinned down at her and she thought she might just faint from the brightness of his teeth.

"Me?! I'm… I'm perfectly fine! Uh, how about y-you? I-I mean, if you're ph-physically and m-mentally fine, uh-… And, not as in, if y-you're physically fine, I mean, you are pretty f-fit and you're a model so y-you have to be fine, right? Ahahaha, uh, b-but actually I meant-… Uh-… If you're feeling healthy, as in-"

"It's alright, Marinette, I'm fine.", he interrupted her with a slight chuckle but she noted with relief that he wasn't laughing at her, "I'm feeling pretty well, actually."

She shyly smiled up to him, fumbling with her purse.

"Uh-… That's awesome! A-And you're awesome, ah, no, I mean-… Of course, you're awesome, but you're awesome as in-… Uh, p-picking up things for m-me? I-I'll stop talking now…"

"Oh, it was nothing, really. Don't worry, Marinette. Well then, see you!"

"Y-Yeah, bye-good! U-Uh, g-g-g-… S-See you!"

She sighed when he was waving her and went down the stairs to leave the classroom. Then, she threw an excited smile to Alya while she shouldered her bag and descended down the stairs.

"I knew you had it in you, girl! Now, let's celebrate for the rest of the break, I've got orange juice for you!"

She laughed while walking out of the classroom and Marinette wanted to follow her but was held back by a rather strong and pinching grip. When she turned around, she saw Chloé holding her arm, looking furious.

Uh-oh.

Marinette sobbed into her hands as she recalled Chloé's hurtful words, each and every one of them.

"You're nothing! You're not even worth yourself, much less your so-called friends! Don't you see they just hang out with you because they pity you?! You're worth the dirt under my feet, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And you have no right to speak to me like that, you pathetic little brat. You don't even have the right to speak to anyone! Just keep your stupid thoughts and ideas to yourself because nobody wants to hear them!"

The bluenette had just talked a bit to Adrien, nothing big. She had even stumbled over her words again which had simply led to Adrien putting a hand on her shoulder and telling her to relax before going, but somehow the blonde had been very keen on yelling at Marinette like that.

Normally Marinette would have just not listened. But this time, Chloé had said something she had accidently kept in her head afterwards. That her friends were only with her because they pitied her.

Alya would never do that to her… Right?

The two girls had so many good memories with each other, like sleepovers when Alya was stroking Marinette's hair and Marinette was telling her funny stories. When she was making Alya a dress and her best friend was spending countless hours with her, laughing, joking, standing still for Marinette while she was creating the dress around her. The both of them drinking hot chocolate while it was raining outside, watching a romantic movie together, crying their eyes out.

Alya had left the classroom already as Chloé had started yelling at Marinette, but as soon as her best friend had realized it was the bluenette that was yelled at, she had come storming right back in, yanking Chloé back on her shoulder, screaming at her in rage while guiding out the already crying Marinette. She couldn't quite remember every word that Alya had screamed at the blonde because she had spoken way faster than usual and Marinette had kept this one sentence in her head, the one her life would be ruined by.

Alya had led her out of the classroom, still yelling back over her shoulder.

"AND IF YOU SPOILED BRAT DARE TO SPEAK TO HER LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU'LL HEAR FROM ME AND I SWEAR YOU DON'T WANT THAT!"

Marinette had laid a calming hand on her best friend's shoulder, making the brunette look at her questioning.

"It's alright, Alya… It's okay."

"Marinette, we're going to Mr. Damocles right now! This time Chloé will not get through with it."

The bluenette had been led out by Alya, away from the blonde, past all her classmates, past Adrien.

He had looked at her, shocked. She had fixed her gaze to the ground to not have to see his eyes.

Right as she had been the first step down the stairs he had stormed into the classroom, eager to get Chloé to Mr. Damocles, but she hadn't caught that anymore.

Hot tears had welled up in her eyes and she had tried to swallow down the big lump in her throat, without success.

As they had reached the schoolyard, Alya pulling her to the stairs that led up to Mr. Damocles office, she gently had removed her best friend's hands from her arm.

"Alya-… Do you-… Do you pity me?"

The brunette had stopped dead in tracks, a light breeze playing with her hair as she turned to see her best friend's cheeks wet. She had bitten on her lip and stepped forward to embrace Marinette.

"Of course. Chloé's trying to turn your life into a living hell, so who does not?"

Marinette had pushed Alya away, shaking her head to not see her friend's irritated face.

"So she was right! You're only my friend because you pity me-… How we actually met, it was because of Chloé picking at me again."

"Marinette, wait, that's not what I'm saying-"

"Oh god, she knew it! Chloé was right and I'm all alone! I-… I need to go! Right now!"

The bluenette had turned and ran out of the school. Her friend had watched as she had left, already sobbing uncontrollably, helpless.

And now, Marinette laid on her bed, a strong feeling of hopelessness and loneliness filling her like water being poured into a bucket.

"T-Tikki, I knew it! All of my friends were a lie! Alya said so herself! I'm just a failure."

Her little Kwami hugged her cheek the best she could but Marinette didn't even care.

"Marinette, it's not as bad as you think it is. You heard Alya, she wanted to say more. Probably she wanted to explain and assure you she really is your best friend."

The girl shook her head violently, sending Tikki flying but the Kwami caught herself and sat down next to Marinette's elbow.

"Please, just go back and listen to Alya. She wanted to tell you something."

"I won't listen to her! She's just pitying me, she's no real friend!"

Tikki punched into Marinette's bed sheets and was about to tell her chosen she was wrong but something caught her attention. Marinette looked up to say more but she was silenced by Tikki's worried look on her face, right before she flew off.

She knew it, not even her Kwami wanted to have anything to do with her. She sat up but only sobbed harder.

Marinette barely heard Tikki's cry.

"Stay back, you filthy beast! Stay back! Don't touch her!"

Suddenly she felt darkness, cold and somehow-… Moving? She had almost missed the dark Akuma flying towards her, vanishing in the bracelet Alya had gave to her just this morning. The next thing she knew was seeing Tikki floating right in front of her, pleading her with her big blue eyes before a cold voice filled her consciousness.

"Hello, I am Hawkmoth."

"H-Hawkmoth-…?!", she stuttered. She knew what came next.

"Your friends let you down. You're feeling lost and helpless. You think, everyone is pitying you, but you know better. You want to show everyone you're worth being a true friend. I can give you the chance to show them all they're wrong. Do we have a deal?"

Marinette looked at Tikki in horror, not knowing what to do. She knew it was wrong but at the same time, the darkness pulled her, pushed her to do this.

"I-… I don't-"

"YOU WILL!"

The power of Hawkmoth's voice in her head was painful, way more than she imagined. It caused her to double over in agony, falling on her bed again.

"Okay, okay! I-… We have a deal!", she screamed, wanting to stop the pain. She heard her mother calling up, even heard her footsteps on the stairs already.

"Maman, stay away!", she cried out as loud as she could, "Get Papa and LEAVE! NOW!"

"Sweetie is everything al-"

"RUN, MAMAN!"

Marinette felt the darkness travelling up her body and Tikki gestured to her ears. As fast as she could, the bluenette removed the Miraculous, causing her Kwami to vanish.

The transformation was finished and Marinette didn't feel like herself anymore. She now had two sides. Herself and-… Someone. She wore a skin-tight suit, much like her suit as Ladybug, only this one was pitch black and had pink stripes on her arms and legs. Her feet and hands were completely pink, as was her mask. A pink stripe was around her thigh which grew over her chest into her signature flowers she had herself designed and sewed or glued on almost everything she owned. On her back was the pink 'M' she always signed her designs with.

Trembling, she glanced down to her fist and gulped inside, knowing she hadn't been fast enough to throw them away. She opened it and her Miraculous, Ladybug's Miraculous, were revealed. She could hear Hawkmoth hissing in her head.

"You're Ladybug?!"

She knew that she shouldn't answer that. Marinette knew it exactly, anyways.

But this other part in her, the akumatized, sobbing, hurt girl didn't know. She just slightly grinned and pushed Marinette away.

"Yes I am. And I will bring you the Miraculous right away."

Hawkmoth laughed so loudly the bluenette had to flinch, but her other Part laughed along with him, through her mouth. Marinette wasn't in control anymore. The akumatized Part controlled her body now.

"You shall be Miss Fortune then. Go spread your 'luck' and bring me Ladybug's Miraculous. And then, hunt down Chat Noir. He won't stand a chance against his own partner."

Suddenly Miss Fortunes head snapped around because of a yelp from the hatch and Marinette gulped.

Her mother was standing on the stairs, looking up to her daughters bed, only to see Marinette had been replaced with an akumatized victim. The girl wanted to scream at her mother to run, take her father and get away as far as possible, but she couldn't do anything.

Miss Fortune stretched out a hand in the direction of her Maman and Marinette could only watch helplessly as strings of fabric shot out of her hand, winded themselves around Sabine's neck and lifted her, bringing her closer to Miss Fortune's face.

"No, I don't need you. I don't need anybody anymore.", she snarled, throwing her mother down on the ground, knocking her out immediately.

"MAMAN NO! NOOOO! Hawkmoth, I'll KILL you!", Marinette yelled, but he just laughed.

"I'd like to see that, Ladybug. Because for now, your hands are tied."

She struggled against Miss Fortune but the Akuma didn't let her do anything. Marinette was powerless, she realized.

Miss Fortune climbed onto her balcony just as her father got into the room to see her and got away. A breeze brushed over her fingers as her hand left the closed hatch. They were making their way over the roofs of Paris for ten minutes now, nearing a building that almost looked like a dome for a telescope but Marinette knew, it wasn't the Parisian observatory. It was a newly built thing that looked like an observatory and Marinette could imagine, that was a very good cover, just saying it was a private research station.

Miss Fortune slipped through the opened window and handed over her Miraculous to Hawkmoth. It was the first time Marinette saw him in person and she swore he reminded her of someone. Miss Fortune never said a word to Hawkmoth, neither did he while she was there. Her akumatized self already jumped out of the building again very quickly, as if to flee from the bad aura of the supervillain.