Chat Blanc

Goodbye Chaton

The victim dropped to his knees as the magic bubbled away. Chat Noir finally made eye contact with his partner who stood staring at him, slack jawed. He pointed to the tainted butterfly with his baton. "You going to catch that?" He asked. Ladybug snapped out of her funk and did her thing. But she wasn't able to revert things back to normal without calling upon her lucky charm. As soon as she did, Chat Noir's hackles rose. A belt identical to Chat Noir's fell into her hands. "Chat, we are twins." She joked before she tossed the object in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She yelled. Out of habit Chat Noir raised his fist to bump against hers. "Pound it." He said with little feeling. His partner smiled at him, looking shaken. "That's a first. We've never defeated an akuma without using my lucky charm before." She said. Chat Noir's masked eyes narrowed. "Could that be because you always have to do things your way?" He asked her. She stepped back at his sharp retort. "I-I..." She stuttered. "Nevermind, forget it." The cat themed hero replied as he gave her a dismissive wave as he turned away. Then he paused to look over his shoulder. "You always say we're partners, that I'm not your sidekick. You're wrong you know. I'm the one who takes the hits, I'm the one who panders to your every whim. You told me I'm irreplaceable, yet every time I'm out of action or not up to the standard you need, you replace me like old batteries in a flashlight." He said clearly hurt and upset.

"Please." Ladybug begged she struggled to find her words yet again in the face of Chat Noir's icy stare. "We're a team, Chaton, you and me through thick and thin. You were the one that always said that. Where did that go?" She asked him, noticing by the corner of the eye how he twisted hesitantly the black ring on his hand. "I don't know, you tell me." Chat Noir replied coldly. "Excuse me?" Ladybug asked as she blinked, not realizing the moment she stepped back when Chat's gaze focused again on her but the cat-themed superhero noticed, and he grumbled. "New heroes, new people you can count on, sure. I get it, the akumas are getting harder. But you never once asked me to help you! Or even reached out to see how I was feeling with all of these changes. We were supposed to be a team but when was the last time you counted on me?" He yelled at her. "What are you talking about? I will always count on you. We were chosen by the Guardian for a reason. We fight together and I know we can trust each other—" Ladybug started. "But where does your truth end?" Ladybug recoiled when Chat's grasp on his own miraculous tightened and his own voice broke, somehow sensing how much effort he was putting in keeping his own emotions on board. "I know you're trying so hard and you're still standing right here. That's one of the things that I admire and I love about you, My Lady. But when was the last time we actually worked as a team? When was the last time you trusted me enough to tell me the truth?" Chat Noir asked his partner in red. She remained silent unable to answer. "That's what I thought." Chat said as he sighed before extending his baton, his cue to say their one-sided conversation was over. "I'm sorry for not being a trustful partner, I guess." He said leaving and going back home and detransforming.

The next few days were the same as before Ladybug choosing everyone but him to help her fight off the akumas that were appearing. It seemed clear to Adrien that she didn't really care about him or how he was feeling. So, there Adrien was slumped on his couch as he watched the news while Plagg was flying around eating his Camembert cheese. "By the way, where's Chat Noir? You've saved Paris without him quite a few times recently. Are you two at odds with each other?" Clara asked Ladybug. "Pound it!" Carapace, Pegasus, Vesperia and Pigella said together bumping their fists. "Of course not, it's just that... umm, he's a partner like any other! The most important is to pick the best superheroes for each mission, with or without Chat Noir. No matter what, we've got a great team and we'll always be here to save Paris." Ladybug said to her. Adrien was shocked and utterly disencouraged. "A partner like any other..." He said as he turned off the TV and sighed. "Oh, don't make a big stink about this, Adrien! Look, people always pretend like camembert is just like all the other cheeses, when they know perfectly well that it's the best of all! Especially when we forget where you put it for a few months, and it's all runny and moldy—" Plagg said trying to cheer up his holder. Then they heard lasers blasting outside. "Perfect! Now's your chance to show 'em all who's the big cheese on the plate. Adrien, transform!" Plagg said as he looked at his holder. "It's useless. She doesn't need me anymore, she has them." Adrien said as he looked at the kwami who was dragging Adrien by his finger. "No, it's not! You are useful! Ladybug needs you, come on let's go!" Plagg said. "Okay. Plagg, claws out." He said as he transformed and jumped out of the window. By the time he reached the area, it was done and over with. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug yelled form afar as Chat Noir sighed and headed towards the magical ladybugs. "Pound it!" Ladybug, Ryuko, Polymouse, King Monkey and Purple Tigress said punching their fists together. "Hey, Cat Noir!" Ryuko said noticing him. "Hey." Polymouse, King Monkey and Purple Tigress said. "Hey, guys!" Chat Noir said, plastering a fake smile. "How's it going, dude?" King Monkey asked as their miraculouses began to beep. "Come on, guys! Hurry up before you all detransform. I'll meet you at rendezvous points." Ladybug said and all of the heroes jumped away in different directions. Ladybug  opened her yoyo and started typing something on her yoyo. "Hey! Meow are you, m'lady?" Chat Noir said coming up to her. "Great, thanks, but I gotta go retrieve all these Miraculous." Ladybug said frustrated as she typed away. "I could hand you a paw to help save time." Chat Noir said smiling at her. "Thanks, kitty cat, but it's a guardian's job to do it." Ladybug said. "I know who some of them are, remember? I was there when you first gave them their Miraculous!" Chat Noir said as he looked at her. "You don't even know where their rendezvous points are, I don't have time to-" Ladybug said getting frustrated. "Playing cat and mouse is my forte, you know—" Chat Noir said, trying to be included but was only being cast out. "If you wanna save me time, stop wasting it in the first place!" Ladybug yelled at him. Chat Noir gasped as he watched Ladybug swing away. 'I guess it's true then. She really doesn't need me anymore.' Chat Noir thought as he clenched his fists. "And take my Miraculous back when you're done!" He yelled. "Okay, whatever, see you later!" Ladybug yelled swinging away. "I won't waste your time anymore, I promise. Claws in." He said as he detransformed into Adrien. "I'm sorry, Plagg." Adrien said. "Woah woah woah, hang on!" Plagg started. "I just can't do this anymore. She doesn't need me anymore when she has everyone else. So I give up... on everything. Even you." He said. "You can't do that!" He said as Adrien took off his ring, the kwami getting sucked into it and placed it onto the roof. He then wrote her a quick letter and placed it underneath the ring before jumping off the roof. Adrien climbed back into his room using the tree besides his window. Adrien went around his bedroom and threw away all of his photos of Ladybug from his trophy and Plagg's cheeses into the trash can. He grabbed the sock puppet that looked like Plagg and tossed it in the trash bin as well. He climbed into his bed, deleting photos of Ladybug from his phone. He deleted all of them except for one of him and her. He then puts his phone on the charger and turning the other way. He fell asleep, still clearly upset.

She was going to collect King Monkey's miraculous when it hit her. "What does he mean 'take back his Miraculous'?" She said before realizing what he meant. "No, he wouldn't! Don't move, I'll be right back!" She yelled at King Monkey who had detransformed into Kim was left hanging onto the building. "You mean don't move at all or can I still move a little?" He asked as Ladybug swung back to where he just was only to find him gone. "Chat Noir? Chat Noir?" She called out looking around. She gasped upon finding the black ring with the paw print on it sitting there and a letter underneath it. "Oh no! Chat Noir..." She said softly. "Ladybug, we were supposed to be behind the fountain." Ryuko said over their earpiece. "I'm about to detransform. Should I feed my kwami, or will you do that?" Ploymouse asked over the earpiece. "I..." She said softly as she put the ring and the letter in her yo-yo. "Stay in position, I'm on my way!" She said as she swung away and collected all of the other Miraculouses and sent them on their ways. Marinette climbed into her room and detransformed. She then fed all of the kwamis as she contemplated about what to do with the Cat Miraculous, laying in her hand, and the letter next to her on the bed surrounded by the other kwamis. "What's gotten into him, lately? I didn't do anything." Marinette said. "Didn't do anything? Well yeah, you did! You've been neglecting Chat Noir and then full blown abandoned him and to go on adventures with the all other cheeses!" Plagg said as Tikki glared at him. "It's true, Sugarcube." Plagg said. "But he should be happy about it, it gives him more time off." Marinette said as Plagg sighed heavily. "Chat Noir doesn't wanna have time off, Ladybug! He is in love with you! And your persistent calling on other heroes has broken his heart. Especially after you promised to never abandon him." Plagg yelled at her, annoyed at Marinette. "He is right, Marinette." Tikki said looking at her holder. "I'm really sorry if Chat Noir is hurt, but I'm doing my best as a guardian." She said as she grabbed the letter he had left and opened it gently before she began reading it.

'M'lady,
You can have my miraculous back, I clearly don't need it since you have broken your promise and have truly abandoned me. You don't need me at all, you have made your feelings about me quite clear over the years. Still, I have been inlove with you and trusted you since the day we first met. But you are still keeping secrets and have replaced me with those other holders. You revealed your true identity to your friend but argue about it when I bring it up. You also know all of the other holder's idenitities. While I'm left to guess, because of your lack of trust in me. You and Rena know each other idenities, Rena and Carapace also know each other another's identities. Yet I am kept in the dark about everything. Partnership implies being equals. But when it comes to our relationship you are clearly the alpha to my beta. Normally that doesn't bother me, someone has to lead but you don't share. If this partnership were true, you'd tell me what you know but instead you hide things from me. I am so sick of being lied to by everyone around me then getting replaced by newbie superheroes. It is clear to me that I have already been abandoned by you so I quit. I give up on trying to earn your trust, and being told the truth. It's clear that I will never be worthy enough gain it. So take care of Plagg, his preferred food is Camembert cheese and replace me permanently. I have given up on caring. We will probably never work with each other again. So goodbye, Ladybug. Have a nice life!
-Former Chat Noir'

"Oh Chat, I have been a terrible friend and a horrible partner. Haven't I?" She said softly as she held his letter close to her chest. "I need to tell him I was wrong but how?!" She said softly thinking as she looked at the other kwamis. "I'll write him a letter and ask him to meet me at our spot!" She said as she climbed off her bed and grabbed a pen and pencil and began writing. When she was finished, she put it into an envelope with his ring. "Plagg take this to him please. I know that I have been a horrible friend towards him but I need him. I beg of you, please take this to him." She said bowing her head towards the kwami with the letter held out to her. "Fine, but he might not come." Plagg said. "I know but I can't lose him. I-I love him." She said. Plagg nodded before flying off.