Love Marks My Heart

...The Fire's Burning In My Eyes

Disclaimer: This chapter has mild divergence from the canonical concepts of Miraculous Ladybug and hence I request you to read this chapter as an AU. Although you won't face any problems even if you don't consider it as an AU if you have a wildly huge imagination.
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As soon as Hawkmoth's hand came in contact with Multimouse's earrings, she puffed into orange smoke. His eyes widened and a surprised look crossed his masked face. He could feel Mayura tense up behind him too.

"What the--" He wasn't able to dodge a metal object aimed at his head causing him to fall back hard on the ground. He quickly scrambled back to his feet— not thinking about the pain in his back and joined his helper at the back, hastily taking back his cane. He was a man of few words— he didn't like to see changes neither did he like to get caught off guard. He was all about a steady flow and he didn't like how the tables had turned. The ache in his lower back— the brunt of the fall taunted him that he was getting way too old for games like these.

"Did you really think that you can win, Hawkmoth? Did you really think that I would give up that easily?" Multimouse appeared in front of him from a gallery facing him, catching the baton that she had hurled at him.

"B-But how?" He spluttered, "Even the Fox Miraculous can't create illusions like that. I could swear that I hit you while we fought."

"Oh that," the heroine shrugged casually, "Was a little update in the Fox Miraculous— the new mirage shows you and makes you feel what you want to. It messes with your brain. You see, I didn't come unprepared." Her smile was dangerously sweet, her words delivered a warning to the villain duo in front of her.

"Indeed, I shouldn't expect any less from The Great Ladybug," Hawkmoth nodded slowly in agreement, "But nothing can change your doom tonight. You are a petty girl who's going to lose." He said haughtily.

"I guess we need to teach him never to underestimate us, don't we, M'lady?" Cat Noir made his appearance from the shadows he was blended in and caught his baton which was thrown to him by his partner.

"Cat Noir?" Hawkmoth gaped. "How? The entrance is guarded by my akumas, they would have alerted me of your presence."

"You are not really the only one with brains here, Hawkmoth." Cat Noir deadpanned, his lips twitched into a half-smile.

"Get ready, Hawkmoth," Multimouse stated. "Because the endgame has just begun™."

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(40 minutes earlier...)

Cat struggled to get out of the hold of his captor desperately. Whoever they were had to be very quiet in order to sneak up on him. Instead, he felt himself getting pinned against a wall and he came face to face with his supposed enemy, his night vision helped him to make out the face of a person he knew too well. The twin buns and the gray and pink mask were unmistakable.

Multimouse

The sight of Marinette, safe and sound, acted like beams of sunlight that had dissipated all the clouds of worry he had in mind. He knew that she was alive. He hadn't lost her. He had known that she was alive since he read the guardian's letter, but seeing her in flesh, in front of him, breathing soundly made him forget all about his worries and anxiety.

He blinked back his tears, looking at her intently for a few moments as he remembered the breakdown he had when he considered the possibility of her being dead. Slowly and hesitatingly, he raised his arm to stroke her soft hair. Yes, she was real. He wasn't seeing an apparition and neither was his brain playing any tricks on him.