Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kagami only wanted one thing from that evening: to not get akumatised.

No matter how hard she tried — she felt too much, too strongly. It poured out of her like lightning, staining everything she touched, bleeding her dry. This dance was the coup de grâce: Ladybug should have let her plummet to her death, and spared her the torture.

Still, she had not flinched as the wardrobe master pinned huge taffeta roses to her chest.

All eyes were on her now, a thousand embers burning her skin as the platform dragged her into the monochrome arena — her mother’s empty gaze the most painful of all.

“Let’s leave,” Adrien whispered, his touch uncharacteristically eager against her hand. “I dare you.”

The suggestion was preposterous — so much so that she might as well have hallucinated it.

“Are you insane?” She snapped back, harsher than intended. “We can’t do that.”

“Of course we can,” he grinned, defiance seeping through every syllable. “I can.”

It caught her off guard.

Kagami had cheered as Adrien grew braver by the day — refusing to give into the jealousy that gnawed at her heart. Maybe this strength had been inside him all along; maybe he had simply not deemed her worthy of the effort.

Maybe there was something fundamentally wrong with her.

But they were holding onto each other now, an offering to the bloodthirsty guests; and when she returned his gaze, she found nothing but softness and golden light.

“You’d do that?”

“Wanna bet?”

The tremor of the platform snapped her back to her senses; back to ebony suits fading into one another, blocking their way out.

“Don’t look at them,” Adrien pleaded. “Look at me.”

“Please, don’t put me through this.”

“Kagami.”

She hated that he only cared now, hated that he had come around far too late. More than anything, she hated the fondness in his voice, how much power it held over her.

“Forget everything else,” he urged her. “What do you want?”

The young girl bit the inside of her cheek, holding back tears.

In truth, she was selfish, and painfully aware of it. Her mother never missed an opportunity to hammer it into her brain — as did Hawkmoth, every time he sank his teeth into her flesh.

Whispers clouded her mind, as surely as an akuma would.

“I want to leave.”

The answer had escaped of its own volition, half-sigh and half-muffled sob; she clutched his hand tight, too tight, as she always did.

This time, he did not flinch.

“Come with me.”

His thumb was gentle against her skin as he cut through the forest of guests, crushing toes in his wake; the smartest attendants leapt out of the way, posing no resistance beyond a horrified gasp.

Somewhere above their heads, Gabriel had jumped back on his legs, frantically fidgeting with his wedding band.

“Adrien,” he growled, sending a shiver down her spine. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The young boy held his gaze, and she caught something in the peridot irises — a terrifying spark, itching to set the ballroom ablaze. He slammed his hand against the access pad, and Gabriel recoiled, face twisting into a panicked scowl.

“Security, don’t let him escape!”

Through the crack between the doors, Kagami caught a glimpse of her mother’s confusion. Too little, too late: the elevator took flight, shooting them back into the real world.

Chapter Text

“You’re not Adrien.”

There was no doubt, no hesitation in Kagami’s voice: she saw through him like no one else could.

Felix planted his plastic spoon in his ice cream: an improbable combination of orange, pistachio and black licorice. At first, the infuriating man that ran the stand had refused to serve them, wailing that such an order would be a crime against the dairy gods; the young boy had been one pathetic excuse away from transforming, just so he could beat him to death with his fan.

“No,” he apologised, abandoning the container dangerously close to his immaculate suit. “I’m not.”

She nodded, eyes caught in the silver stitches of the Seine.

“I’m surprised,” she admitted, between two bites of black licorice. “You are not at all like I expected you to be.”

“Not many people actually know me.”

“Considering you stole the Miraculous.”

“… I know.”

“And gave them to Monarch.”

“Yes. Sorry about that.”

In truth, he did not regret his decision in the slightest: he needed the brooch, more than he had ever needed anything.

“Would you like to know why?”

Kagami glanced up, freckled nose scrunching up adorably as she searched for the trick.

There was none. The truth was boiling in his veins, dying to escape.

“Yes,” she finally decided, her voice strangely monotonous. “But not tonight.”

He forced the words back in, fingers drumming against the wooden bench.

“I do want to know why you helped me.” Kagami scooted closer — slow and careful, ready to pull away at the first sign of abruptness. “Is it part of some grand scheme of yours?”

“No,” he rushed out, heart skipping a beat. “I could never use you.”

“You don’t seem like the kind to let scruples get in your way.”

“I’m not. My priorities simply shifted.”

Something lit up in her eyes — a spark she could not quite blow out.

“I know what it’s like to be kept in a cage,” he confessed, admiring the curve of her chin. “I simply couldn’t leave you there.”

Peach lips twitched into a hard line.

“I’m no prisoner.”

“Had you been free, you would not have escaped.”

The sugary scoops were well on their way to dissolution, surrendering to the warm summer night.

“I don’t know what came over me.” A mechanic hand brushed loose sparkles off her dress. “My mother must be worried sick.”

“You can’t go back,” he pleaded, squeezing desperately. “If you do, she will tighten the noose around your neck.”

“My purpose was decided long before I was born. There’s no point in fighting it.”

Felix felt her pain, as surely as when it was his.

Suddenly, another heartbeat demanded his attention; he perked up, reaching inside his pocket.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Kagami’s eyes were the colour of caramel, soft and warm even as her muscles tensed; when the barrier of silk gave in, they flickered with a brand new shine, two stunning rubies against the ink blue night.

“Her name is Red Moon,” Felix announced, proudly. “She’s my little sister.”

Fascinated, the young girl scooped the tiny star with gentle hands; her light bridged the space between them, a warm cocoon weaved from despair and rage.

“Is she alive?”

“As much as we are.”

“Did you make her?”

“She was supposed to be my accomplice for tonight, but — plans change.”

Red Moon flickered, childlike jealousy bouncing off in scarlet rays,  and Kagami chuckled — a magical sound that more than made up for the fact that Uncle was still breathing.

“What will become of her now?”

“She will find a new meaning to her existence.”

Felix tilted his chin up, and the sparkle took flight, happily dancing above their heads.

“As will I, I suppose. It’s something we will figure out together.”

“I think I understand.” Her voice cracked; she smiled nonetheless. “Thank you.”

The blush that painted his cheeks had nothing to do with the crimson glow.

“Can I kiss your hand?”

It was a risk — one that might pierce their bubble beyond repair. One he needed to take, or he would regret it his entire life.

She sucked a breath in, thumb grazing his.

“Earlier, you said it was too much,” he recalled, heart pounding against his ribs. “Can I do it now?”

Kagami did not say a word; eyes closed, trembling, she pressed his palm to her lips.

Felix melted under her touch.

“I was wrong,” she whispered, linking their fingers over her heart. “One kiss is not nearly enough.”

Red light spilled across the sky as they clung to each other.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you want to go back?”

Argos’ voice was soft as he landed on the railing, clutching her still.

“I’m not one to run away from my problems.” Face buried in the crook of his neck, she filled her lungs with his scent. “You told me I needed to find my own purpose. That starts with confronting my mother.”

“There’s no way she’s letting you keep your ring.” 

“I know.”

“Which is why you’ll need this.”

Fingers lingered against her palm, warmth radiating through his gloves; finally, they slipped away, leaving a sparkle of silver behind.

“It’s not an exact copy,” he apologised, hands retreating behind his back. “Had I had more time…”

“Where did you even get this?”

“A magician never reveals their tricks.” His smile was mischievous, yet disarmingly sincere. “Hopefully, her blindness makes up for my lack of professionalism.”

Holding the glistening decoy to her heart, Kagami found herself breathing for the first time.

“Thank you.” She could not quite explain it, yet she knew he had just changed the trajectory of her life. “For everything. I —”

The words died in her throat.

Argos wrapped his arms around her waist, which would only make their farewell harder; against her better judgement, she leaned in, resting her forehead against his.

“What are you going to do now?”

“What I do best.” He smirked. “Fall back on my feet. Improvise. Figure out a better way to get what I want.”

“Steal more jewellery?”

“Something like that.”

Kagami’s beliefs laid shattered at her feet. Only one certainty remained: despite his unconventional methods, Felix’s intentions were good. Purer, at least, than those of the masterminds behind the ball.

“I wish I could kiss you.”

Suddenly, Argos’ playfulness was gone — his cheeks the same shade of magenta as his eyes.

She had seen such tenderness before: it never seemed to extend to her.

“But if I did, and then you left,” she choked out, squeezing her eyes shut, “I don’t think I could ever recover from that.”

The heartbreak was still fresh, still pounding against her ribs. So was her mother’s voice, hammering that every ounce of affection had to be earned — that she was unworthy of love.

Enchanted fabric rustled, the sound soft and strange against the silence of the night.

“So, all I need to do to get a kiss… is stay ? That sounds like the opposite of a problem.”

The words knocked the air out of her lungs. When she breathed again, she tasted his adoration; curling around her, filling the cracks in her chest.

“Hold on to your ring,” Argos hummed, lips pressed to her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He made it sound so simple.

“After tonight, my mother’s security is going to get a thousand times worse,” she warned. “To say nothing of your uncle’s. People will be looking for you all over Paris.”

“I know.” He grinned, disentangling from her embrace. “Which will make outsmarting them all the more satisfying.”

One flash of his fan, one more lovestruck gaze, and he leapt into the void — returning to the shadows.

Kagami wondered what she would wear the next day.