Ladynoir July 2023

Secrets

Oops my finger slipped and now it's more angst :) -Colorado

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Something was wrong. Well, perhaps that was a bit of an understatement. Things had been wrong for several weeks now, ever since the news broke that Ladybug had defeated Monarch. Ever since she showed up in Adrien's... room in England and handed him his father's engagement rings, something had been wrong.

Adrien didn't entirely know how to feel. How could he feel when his father was dead just a few short days after Adrien told him how horrible of a father he was? It seemed like he had finally come to terms with his father and how horrible he was, but then all of Paris was hailing him as a hero. He should've felt proud. Some part of him did. Gabriel Agreste had helped Ladybug defeat Monarch, that was something to be proud of. But Adrien's last memory was of his father locking him in a small room with nothing but a ping-pong table, and it was hard to ignore that. It was hard to ignore how he opposed his and Marinette's relationship at every turn. It was hard to ignore how he sent Adrien to England without even asking.

Still, part of him was proud.

Ladybug hadn't told him how Gabriel Agreste had defeated Monarch. She had been tight lipped since the entire ordeal. Chat Noir had initially felt guilty that he wasn't there. He was upset, he always figured that it would be him and her up to the bitter end. Plagg had calmed his fears, reassuring him that Adrien had made the right decision. He didn't say anything about his father either, even though Adrien pulled out the kitten eyes. Plagg only stuffed his mouth with cheese and turned away.

Even Marinette had been acting oddly! Everything was still great, they still loved each other, but sometimes Adrien would catch her staring at him. Her staring at him was nothing out of the ordinary, but the expression on her face was new. Instead of love, it was guilt and sadness. Adrien couldn't pinpoint why. His running theory was that she was just sad about his father's death.

So yeah, it was plain to see that something was wrong.

And that was before he arrived to patrol only to see Ladybug crying. She was hunched over on the rooftop, her entire body shaking.

"Bug?" Chat Noir said, his voice soft. Ladybug turned towards him, her face red and her eyes shot. His heart panged at the sight.

"Chat," she sobbed. In one moment, he was by her side. He looped a hand around her shoulder, pulling her a bit closer to him.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"It's too much." She shook her head. "It's too much for me to take." She placed her head in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking, and he could tell she was trying to hide her tears.

"What is? Monarch's gone and-."

"And that's the problem!" she snapped. Chat Noir sucked in a sharp breath.

"How is Monarch being gone the problem?" He tried to keep his voice even, but he knew the shock bled into it.

"It's too many secrets, Chat Noir, I can't keep them anymore. Everything thinks he was a hero. He wasn't a goddamn hero!" Ladybug yelled to the night sky. They both knew the sounds of the city drowned her out.

"I don't think anyone thinks Monarch is a hero," Chat said softly. Maybe Ladybug had seen a mean comment and it sent her spiraling. Well, that's why he was there! To reassure her. His words didn't work, she only seemed to grow smaller. She curled up into herself.

"But they do, Chat," she whispered, her voice raspy.

"Who? How do you know that, Bug?" he whispered, his voice just as soft.