Chapter 1: Hollow

...

Summary:

"There are three things that cannot be taken back: The word spoken in haste, The missed opportunity, and The action after it's done."

Akuma allows people the power to do what they wish sorely.

Akuma gives the opportunity to do what they never could.

Destroying the thing that hurts them the most...

But what happens when the person you most hate is yourself?

-Self-harm, depression warnings...

...

.~.~.

There are three things that cannot be taken back.

He bit his lip in an attempt to prevent it from shaking. A dull pain throbbed in his chest like a poison spreading, creeping into the dangerous areas slowly. It was just too much.

He looked at the razor blade in his hand, biting his lip even harder.

He could not do it.

He could not help but do it.

It's so hard...

"Adrien," came a voice from the other side of the door, causing the boy to jump in shock and drop the knife from his hand.

"Adrien, are you there?" Plagg waited only a few seconds for politeness before going through the bathroom door. He noticed his chosen closing the cabinet door by the mirror and looking frightened like a kitten in the rain.

Not that Plagg could blame him. As if, seriously, the boy's dad was just awful.

Why did he always have to be so hard to the kid? Didn't he see how much Adrien was trying to please him?

"Hey, how are you?" Plagg voice softened, trying to coax Adrien out of the stalemate.

The boy clenched his mouth and the kwami noticed small drops of blood rolling down his lip.

After a moment Adrien looked down and sighed.

"Plagg... I do not understand what I'm doing wrong." He mumbled miserably, his head still lowered and his hair covering the evidence of the tears glittering in his eyes.

- The word spoken in haste.

The fashion designer hurled painful words at his son. The fresh memory still gave a sickening shock to Adrian's back. he tried. He really tried. But with all his impossible schedule by itself, and with his part-time job as a superhero, he just could not. His performance was good, they would provide any other person who is not Gabriel Agreste.

But his father will not accept anything less than perfect.

"If you tried at least, after all I gave you." The words were like small knives.

"You know exactly how important it is, if you did not focus solely on yourself," cold words like shards of ice.

"Ungrateful child."

The boy chewed his lip in a trance, detached from reality. While the catlike creature tapped cautiously on the bright head, did not really know how to react now.

Ugh, humans can be so complicated...

"Hi, kid, wanna run?" Plagg gently brushed the golden hair on which he had landed. "Release some pressure. Huh?"

For a moment was too quiet except for the sound of the nasal strokes from Adrien's direction. Then he wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt and nodded.

Seconds later, a black leather-covered boy jumped over the roofs of Paris mad gallop.

.~.~.

As soon as the butterfly window opened, the man felt the target.

He did not even have to transform to feel all the negative emotions piled up there. The current was so strong that he really wondered how a normal person did not feel it.

There was so much potential hidden in such a painful akuma. Hawkmoth had only to connect a little to the dark feelings, to know exactly what to provide to the victim.

"Nooroo," his voice trembled in command, "Transform me."

As soon as the mask covered his face, he felt the tremendous intensification of emotions.

Ah. Such an easy target.

His lips curled in a pleased smile as he noticed the person on the purpose.

You'd think that half of the prize already in his hand.

.~.~.

The cat looked numbly at the street below. Carried on the tallest building in Paris, only wondering.

He didn't notice the black butterfly approaching, either because of the darkness of night or the numbness that echoed inside him.

"Chat Noir," he heard a faintly familiar voice in his head, "this suffering, the unbearable feelings... You are abandoned in this cold world, don't find the courage to be who you are, so scared, so disappointing."

Knives already pierced his chest, as if they had made a turn. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

But, "Lady-" he hummed feebly.

"Ladybug?" Whispered the mesmerizing voice, "You know you've never been more than only a sidekick."

It was... true.

She always got along without him. All those times he was influenced by every akuma and turned against her, she managed to win both them and him... even without difficulty.

What was he doing there even?

"You can have the power to finish with all this, stop feeling all that terrible pain that's eating you."

Chat licked his cracked lips, tasting the metallic taste on them.

"Stop... the pain." He echoed like a broken CD after Hawkmoth.

"Exactly," said the villain, "I can give you the power to be strong, to stop being afraid, all I ask for in return is just a small pair of earrings."

And really, was it worth it?

"So did you get the deal, Fated?"

But was not it?

.~.~.

Ladybug noticed akuma almost immediately. This was mainly thanks to Alya and her journalist sense who was always in a hurry to document all the events.

As soon as her best friend released the place of akuma on the Ladyblog, Marinette quickly transformed to face him.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem he has done anything until now. Still, she had no idea what his powers were.

Unfortunately, she's probably going to find out soon.

"Hi." She called out to the ecumenical citizen.

He turned toward her, "Ladybug," he pulled the syllables slowly, wearily. He did not expect to meet her so fast, but a deal was a deal, "Give me the earrings." His voice was dry.

"A-hah, right away," snorted the heroine. Receives only a shrug. He made no move to take the Miraculous from her.

He did not feel the need, he was trying, was not he? And what is the benefit at all?

She began to feel uncomfortable, something strange about this place. "Who are you exactly?" She looked him over, masked, and the edges of his clothes torn, otherwise he seemed perfectly ordinary. She had no idea what the dark butterfly could be.

"The name is Fated," he replied numbly. Why the hell does this person make her feel wrong?

"Well, do not get used to it," the heroine called coldly, pulling out her yo-yo and pointing at him. "It looks like you're not going to have a big challenge, I can easily take you down."

- The missed opportunity.

He shrank a little, recoiling against his will. "I'm not going to fight you now." He raised his hand, and she noticed the dark energy that flowed around his fingers before he hit the blow below him and set up a wave of ruins from the Eiffel Tower.

Ladybug hurried to hold on to a nearby building to escape the fall, and when the dust cloud dispersed, she saw him no longer.

.~.~.

Despite all that might have been assumed, he still felt everything.

And that "everything" was a hundred times worse than anything he had felt before. He felt all the pain as if it had just happened, everything that had been repressed for years and accumulated inside...

Nevertheless, he got what he wanted.

He may not have exempt of emotion, but he had the courage.

And he was not afraid anymore.

Fated raised his hand slowly, now there was nothing to stop him. He finally got the strength to do what was too weak in the past.

Hypnotic black flashes sparkled between his fingers.

destruction.

Just like always.

But this time, he could finally stop it.

A half-amused smile adorned his face. With a hollow laugh, he thanked his sworn enemy who had finally given him the chance.

With that, he ran his hand smoothly over his heart.

- And The action after it's done.

And when the fingers penetrated through the flesh, a small black butterfly was released from inside.

.~.~.

Ladybug landed on the other side of the ruins of the Eiffel Tower. She was right to find Fated there.

But not as she wanted.

She screamed in horror as she saw the familiar deadly force, when the boy touched directly on his chest.

The scream did not lose its power when in front of her eyes, Fated became her partner.

And she kept yelling again and again and again, implore appalled, for a considerable time in which he was covered with green light and lost his transformation.

.~.~.

The man behind the window collapsed on his chair, his hands covering his mouth, in what was probably the greatest emotional gesture he had shown for too long.

Ironic to understand this now.

He closed his eyes with a piercing despair.

...What has he done...?

A/N: I would say that there's still a chance. Or maybe there isn't.

Again, it was posted as well as on AO3 (well, Some time ago, but I thought; Why not?)

Please forgive me for all mistakes or something... I don't speak English very well.

...Hope you like it anyway and have fun.

Please review, I will really appreciate it!