Five Stages of Grief

Lila Rossi sat on the floor, awaiting what Hawkmoth would have to say about this, this had been the fifth time this year that she had failed him.

Chat Noir jumped down from whatever ledge he had been standing on, mesmerized by his lady. As he began to flirt, Lila reached for the small dagger she had kept in her sock, she had kept it there ever since the break in her home.

Chat Noir had noticed her aiming at ladybug, who was not paying attention, with yell he jumped in front of her and the small dagger went through his suit and into his heart.

"CHAT! NO!" Ladybug cried, the black cat had fallen in her arms, weighing them both down.

"Nice aim, Lila. I hope you know this is mine now," he croaked out, "I'm sorry m'lady, I couldn't let her hit you, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself," he smiled at ladybug one last time, however, in return she only had tears and snot for him.

Lila had began to run, "No! No! NO! CHAT!" Ladybug screamed, "Come back to me," she begged, "Don't leave me," she cried.

"Til the end, m'lady," he whispered, before his last breath flowed through his lips. Automatically, he began to detransform.

"Adrien!" Plagg yelled, dropping to where his owner laid. Plagg hated this part of the job, when his owner got to old to be the black cat, but 16 was the youngest death of an owner he had ever witnessed.

Ladybug had gasped, her eyes widened. It was him all along, the boy she was in love with was Chat Noir and she had rejected him, the love of her life. "Adrien?" She whispered, "No! This wasn't supposed to happen! This was never supposed to happen!"

Nadja Shamuck and he cameraman recorded the whole intimate affair, out in the middle of the street. The death of Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste was tragic, but what a scoop.

"You're not dead, you're not dead, just hurt," she whispered, picking him up, his limp body refusing to move. "We'll get you to the hospital, you'll be fine, you won't die," she threw out her yo-yo, desperately making her way to the nearest hospital.

It was only when she reached it, that the doctor's had confirmed that the beloved Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir was dead.

***

"I still can't believe he's gone," Nino cried, head cupped in his hands, his girlfriend's soothing hand trying to comfort him, while she held her best friend with the other arm.

"I can't believe Lila is still on the run, how quickly does a 15 year old girl leave the country?" Chloé asked, her tears were barely there, but everyone knew she was being authentic.

"It's not fair, he can't be dead, I was just talking to him a few days ago," Marinette sobbed, the four stood at the bottom of the Chapels staircase. They dreaded walking up them, no matter how fancy they had dressed for the occasion, nothing made them feel good about walking into the room where their dead friend laid.

"It's going to be so weird at school, expecting him to come into the lockeroom smiling and all happy, then never showing up," Alya began, before trying to bite back the sobs. She had to be strong, everyone here was depending on her, even Chloé Bourgeois.

Slowly, but surely, they four made their way up the stairs where his girlfriend, Kagami, waited for them, this was the first time Marinette had seen Kagami so lost, like that fire she had when they first met had been smothered.

Kagami looked just about ready to break out into tears, which prompted Marinette to race up to her and try and soothe her.

Luka, Marinette's ex, waved at her from inside. Luka had made time for Adrien, which was hard since his dad, Jagged Stone, had him working to the bone on their next album together.

She made her way over to him and his sister, Juleka, and took a seat next to him, the three of them moved to accommodate Alya, Nino and Chloé, Kagami went to go sit with her mum at the front.

Gabriel Agreste was quiet and kept to himself, it was an open casket, so he just stared at his son. First his wife, then his son? He supposed it was his karma for exploiting innocent people's emotions.

He had renounced Nooro and left it for Ladybug to collect, in the Louvre under a specific seat.

"This isn't right, this can't be right," was the only words flowing around Marinette's head, she half expected him to jump up in his coffin, get out and they would all laugh at it and get on with their lives.

But this would never happen.

***

Everyone was saying their final goodbyes, Gabriel had to be pulled away by his assistant, Nathalie, as he was not prepared for the reality of living without his son.

It was finally Marinette's turn, "I'm sorry Kitty, don't worry, I'll find her and avenge you," she whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek and letting the next person have a go.

They all walked pitifully to the place Gabriel had chosen for his sons final resting place, Félix, Gabriel, the Gorilla (whose first name Marinette still didn't know) and Armand D'Argencourt placed his body in the ground, each throwing in dirt, then one after the other, everyone began throwing in dirt pile after dirt pile, even though she had grabbed the soil, she still couldn't believe that she was burying her partner and the love of her life.

Marinette hung out near the food bar, she had planned on spending the rest of her life eating her feelings, she should have been happy, she had finally defeated Hawkmoth, but at what cost? She would rather Hawkmoth continue with his villian ways with her kitty by her sidez rather than this.

Kagami walked to where Marinette stood, stuffing passion fruit macarons (Adrien's favourite) down her throat. They still reminded her of him, tears would not leave her eyes anymore, but they still threatened to.

"This is my first funeral, I had expected mine to be at an elders funeral, but I guess the universe had a different idea," Kagami whispered, Marinette looked deep into her eyes and pulled her in for a comforting hug.

"Me to," was all Marinette could spit out, Kagami finally pulled away, taking Marinette's iconic pigtails out and letting her hair flow freely.

"He loved when you wore your hair down, you looked beautiful," Kagami said, walking away leaving a very confused Marinette.

***

Marinette looked outside the window onto the park, children were playing and having a fun time, this wasn't fair, why should the young get to be happy but she is consumed by sadness.

It was a good thing she had found that note from Hawkmoth and his miraculous, otherwise she would most definitely be akumatised.

She had completely shut herself out, away from her friends, the week after the funeral, the only things keeping her company was the kwamis, she didn't dare let Plagg out, however, because she didn't know how she would react to seeing the kawmi that acts completely like her beloved kitty.

"Tikki! Spots on!" She screamed, transforming into ladybug and making her way to the Eiffel Tower, tears leaking the entire way.

She sat atop of the tower, quietly singing and wondering where Chat Noir was, trying to forget he was dead.

"Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady- no, that's not the one for me. Little lady on a roof, all alone without her kitty."

She stayed there all night, not caring about her parents and how worried they probably were. "But in the night, he's all I think about," she whispered.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng finally decided it was time to leave, when all of a sudden a menacing figure appeared.

"You!" Ladybug seethed, hot with anger.