It's been a year since the legendary Ladybug and Chat Noir have defeated Hawk Moth, who suddenly turned out to be Gabriel Agreste; father of Adrien Agreste. Since then, Chat Noir mysteriously disappeared. Nobody's seen a trace of him. Not even a whisker.
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Present Day:
Ladybug sat on the edge of the roof, waiting for Chat Noir as always. Her eyes were dull, lifeless, that now her partner was gone. She sat there, waiting for him to come back every day, chipping away the last bit of patience she had left.
She needed him, and he needed her. Together, they were like a yin-yang. They balanced each other out, perfectly.
"Tikki spots off," Ladybug whispered to herself, desiring company that she so desperately needed. She loved Tikki, but she was nothing like Chat.
"Marinette, people could've seen you. You know no one can know your secret identity, even if you defeated Hawk Moth!" Tikki argued, forcing the responsibility on her.
"Tikki.. how do you do it?" Marinette asked, "how do you want someone, knowing you can't have them? How do you live with yourself, not knowing why they went away. Why they left you behind. Why weren't you enough for them?"
Tikki sat in the silence, listing to Marinette's sobs. She didn't know what to do, how to comfort her? Knowing that she didn't have an answer for her. Tikki wished she knew how to help Marinette, how to fuel her needs but, she didn't.
The kwami hugged Marinette, holding her hand.
Marinette's sobs became quiet, slower. Her breathing was beginning to steady itself. Tears stained her cheeks as she wiped them off her face.
"He's never coming back is he?"
Tikki looked at her in the eyes. She could see the slightest bit of hope, fighting against the doubt. It was too strong, her doubt conquered the hope. All that was left was empty words, empty memories filled with the person she loved most.
All the doubts they had against each other but still, they somehow made it work throughout all the madness. They put their faith in each other, forgiving their wrongs. But most importantly, they shared a love for each other that wasn't even possible.
Spending time with Chat, Marinette realizes how much she loved him. She learned to love all the flaws he had about himself. She learned to love the cheesy jokes he made, even if they were always at the wrong time.
Marinette sighed, handing Tikki a macaroon from her bag. She got up as she finished gaining her energy back.
"Tikki, spots on," she said, transforming into a bright red ladybug.
Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo from her side and threw it, making it attach to the Eiffel Tower in front of her. She tugged on it, preparing to launch. Her feet lifted off the ground as her yo-yo took her to the designated place. She found her way to the top and looked around, watching the view from above. A celebration was happening, today was the day of Hawk Moth's defeat.
Ladybug looked down, searching the crowds for a certain black cat. She sighed, giving up. She knew she had to give up one day, there was no reason for her to keep searching for someone that's been gone for a year.
"Chat Noir, why did you leave?" Ladybug whispered, tears dropping from her eyes. She tasted the salty taste to the tears as they fell onto her lip.
"Maybe I had to."
Ladybug quickly turned around, grabbing her yo-yo, preparing for battle. Her mouth dropped at the sight of him. Chat Noir.
She stared in disbelief, afraid to think that he was standing there. She repeated she was crazy in her mind so many times.
"M'lady," Chat whispered, walking over to her slowly.
Ladybug put her hands on her face, she was still in disbelief. She didn't want to accept the fact that he had left her, leaving her by herself to deal with the bad. Where were kitty's jokes when she needed them?
Chat slowly wrapped his arms around her, trying to stop her from crying. He squeezed her as her face pressed against his chest, staining the suit with wet tears. He pulled away from her, putting his palms on her cheek, caressing it. He used his thumb to wipe away excess tears.
Ladybug stared into his eyes. They seemed different. She could tell that he had been hurt deeply. He wasn't the same Chat Noir anymore, he was someone else. Someone tenser, more agitated.
"Chat.." Ladybug muttered, bringing her forehead to meet his.
"Don't, I know what you have to say. I know you're angry at me for leaving without a goodbye," he said, "I know I hurt you. I just couldn't deal with myself after what happened. Ladybug, I love you. I want to share every secret, every detail, every moment with you. Even if it meant giving up my Miraculous to do so."
Ladybug stared at him in awe, her heart fluttering. Her cheeks blushed a pale pink.
"Plagg, claws in."
Instead of the Chat Noir, she had always known, a blonde boy was standing in front of her. The one she used to love, or she still loves.
Adrien glanced at her, waiting for a response. He was nervous, and she could tell.
"Tikki spots off," Ladybug smiled, as she transformed back to the normal girl she was.
"Marinette?" Adrien gasped, his eyes growing wide.
"Does this change anything between—"
Adrien cut her off, grabbing her hand to pull her close to him as he leaned in for the kiss he always wanted. The kiss he always wanted to share with; the girl he loved. It was passionate, it was miraculous. Neither of them wanted to let go, they wanted time to freeze in that exact place. They wanted to cherish this moment forever.
Marinette broke apart the kiss, resting her head on his; their hands still intertwined. Adrien brought his finger over to her chin, lifting it slightly so she could look at him.
"It doesn't change anything. You're still the lady of my dreams," he assured her, a smile crawling upon his face.
Marinette blushed, feeling the tension at the moment. She turned her head to find two small was staring at them. Tikki had a disapproving, yet joyful look.
Plagg gagged, turning his head away. "I could be eating camembert right now.. not watching two lovesick dummies.." he muttered, but loudly enough for Tikki to hear.
"Don't act like you're not lovesick with camembert, hypocrite."
Marinette laughed at the kwamis bicker back and forth, exchanging glares at each other. Adrien chuckled with her, feeling the same joy.
The two of them were happy, that was all that mattered to them. Adrien got the girl of his dreams, while Marinette received the love she had so been longing for.
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The End
