𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨 | miraculous ladybug

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | a flash from the past

"CHAT, go around back and corner the villain!" Ladybug instructed her partner. Chat Noir agreed and ran with the assistance of his stick and went to the desired spot. Ladybug kept her eyes on Chat, trying to see if the akumatized villain and Chat were heading to the same place.

Once arriving at the destination, Chat Noir did as his partner asked- he cornered the villain and found the akumatized object as usual. This time, it was a piece of paper. He picked it up and ripped it in two, and the butterfly flew out.

"Where.. am I?" The man asked.

"Don't worry, you were just akumatized. Do you need any help getting home?" Chat asked.

"No, no, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me, though." The man smiled.

Chat Noir fist-bumped the innocent young man and they both separated. Chat then rushed over to Ladybug, afraid that the butterfly would escape before it could be de-evilized.

Upon Chat's arrival, she saw Ladybug's mouth quivering and her eyes staring straight down at the floor. She felt a cold feeling encasing her body, and she didn't know what to think.

"Hey, hey, Ladybug-" Chat Noir quickened his pace after seeing the distraught look of Ladybug and grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Did Shadow Moth hurt you?" After letting go, they moved to a more discreet location to talk.

Ladybug stayed quiet, looking around at her surroundings.

"Ladybug? Please, tell me," Chat spoke, "C'mon, you can tell me anything. What happened?" Chat insisted. "Please, don't be afraid, just te-"

Ladybug cut Chat Noir off and exploded, "Shadow Moth knows my identity!"

"What?" Chat Noirs whole body went tense and he felt like his world was crashing down. What does this mean for Ladybug? For them?

"When you left just now to catch the villain, Shadow Moth pinned me to the wall and whispered to me that they knew my identity." Ladybug's breath slowed down after getting it out. It was scary to hear, but it was true.

Chat Noir didn't know what to say. With this new information, Ladybug is at serious risk.

"Listen, everything will be okay. I mean, you're a superhero. You can protect yourself. And.. I will be able to protect you, too."

"But you don't even know my identity," Ladybug said.

"Well, you can tell me."

"Chat-"

"You didn't show up to turn in our miraculous at Master Fu's place. You didn't want to reveal your identity. You said you were going to be there and you weren't. M'lady, at this point, I think you have to. Please." Chat ranted, letting out everything that was being kept in after all these years out.

"I'm sorry, Chat, but-"

"Don't 'sorry' me, Ladybug. I have been wondering why you stood me up for several years now and I need to figure it out. You've been stalling since the first day we reunited, and now I've hit my limit." Chat was starting to feel more and more enraged by the second. Everything that had been bottling up over the past couple of years were finally spilling out.

Ladybug sighed, and gave in. Was it a good idea to finally tell him why? No. But was she gonna do it? Yes.

"Your father told me not to tell you."

"What? My father? How do you know who my father is?"

"Because I know your identity, Adrien."

What the fuck.

"What? What are you talking about, my name's not Adrien, it's, uh.. Claude, haha.." Chat Noir stood there trying to look clueless.

"Shut up, Chat. I know you're Adrien." Ladybug sighed once more, "Remember when he held me captive in his hideout on the day that he was caught? Well, before you came, he threatened me.."

Seven years ago..

"Hawk Moth, let me go. You know that there's no use capturing me, Chat Noir is going to come back any second now." 18 year old Ladybug said, trying to fight the tight ropes that held her in place.

"Oh please, Chat Noir? The second that he waltzes into this room, he will turn on you like that." Hawk Moth snaps his fingers, and a smug smile appears on his face. "Adrien Agreste can't turn against me."

"What?"

"Adrien Agreste can't turn against me. What, are you stupid? You can't hear now?" Hawk Moth chuckles.

"What does Adrien Agreste have to do with this?" Ladybug asked.

"Oh, you didn't know? What a shame, I thought you two shared no secrets.. Marinette." Ladybug froze, not knowing what to say in response to that.

"Who is Marinette?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you're smarter than that." Hawk Moth leaned in closer to Marinette so she could hear "better".

"Now, your pretty little head should know that you will not reveal your identity to Adrien at the end of this. If I fail, of course. Which I won't." Hawk Moth rolls his eyes. "But just in case."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I will hunt for you the second I get out. Maybe even while I'm in prison. I'll also make Adrien's life miserable." Hawk Moth grins, "I know you love him. It's quite obvious, actually. You don't want him to be miserable, do you?"

Ladybug bit her tongue. "No, I don't. But how would you anyway? You'd be in prison, for god's sake."

"Marinette, look around at where you are right now. Does this place look like it cost less than 300,000 euros to build? No, it doesn't. I'm not middle class, Dupain-Cheng. The rich control things, especially here in Paris, even if they're in prison."

"But what's the point? Why do you want me to keep my identity a secret?"

"You'll see in just a little bit, my dear. Oh, you're so naive. But I'm sure you'll put the pieces together."

Back in the present..

"So did you find out why he wanted you to do this?" Chat asked.

"Yes.. but I can't tell you. It puts my identity at risk." Ladybug replied. She didn't want to keep even one part of this secret hanging over her head, but it was the right thing to do.

"But you can tell me now, can't you? You need to share your identity with me. Please. Your safety is already at risk, so why not just tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Chat, but I can't. I already know yours and you knowing mine will just mess things up. It'll put you in more danger than you already are. I'll take the risk for the both of us."

"M'lady, I hate to break it to you, but I can't let you do that."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, "C'mon. I'll probably be fine, anyway." She smiled, but she and him both knew that what she just said was a lie. "Please, just stick it out, okay? I promise I'll tell you at the end of all of this, no matter what threats come by. Just do it for me."

Chat hesitates, but he gives in after some thought, "Okay, fine." Chat pulls Ladybug into another hug, not letting her go. If anything happens to her, it will be his fault. He didn't protect her.

Eventually, they break apart. Chat Noir is about to end the conversation and say goodbye, but Ladybug butts in.

"And yes, I know that you don't actually have a girlfriend." Ladybug smirks, chuckling.

"Hey! But yeah, I don't. But what if I actually do and you just don't know because it's a relationship that only close friends know about?" Chat smiles, thinking he caught her.

"Oh trust me, I think I'd know if you had a girlfriend."