He had learned of his father's dark secret and he had immediately shared the knowledge with Ladybug...
Adrien lay awake on his bed staring at the ceiling that seemed too far away. His cold house seemed more a prison now than it ever had before. It also felt a thousand and one times more void of life than ever. The stillness of the house overwhelmed him, making him feel afraid of nothing; no sound, no movement, pure and simple nothingness. He couldn't stay here.
That's when he saw it. A shadow passed over his window like a bird flying low but he knew better. She stood on the rooftop across the way, observing him where he lay. He sat up in his bed to see her. The darkness of the night eclipsed her blood red suit to a deep black, apart from the violet hues where her shoulders reflected the blue light of the moon. It was Ladybug.
Her presence was normally such a comfort but now seeing her there, beyond his window, only emphasized how desolate this mansion had become. Not even knowing that she was watching over him could penetrate the icy chill that had overtaken the home. He suddenly found he could not breathe. Standing quickly, he stumbled across the room. Adrien flung open the window. Without a second of hesitation, she flicked her yo-yo and swung over to meet him.
"I can't do this!" he begged her feeling the foreign sting of tears behind his eyes. They did not break free, they did not fall, but they stung his eyes nonetheless. "Take me away from this place! Please, Ladybug! I have to get out of here!"
His hands reached up to her as one who might be praying for salvation. She took his hands and lifted him to her, using her yo-yo to swing them far away. They left the heartless house behind them as she carried the boy across Paris. Landing of a nondescript roof, she set him on his own two feet.
Adrien sat on the ridge of the sloped roof, pulling his knees close to his chest. The girl in red sat beside him a worried look in her eyes. Something akin to compassion and empathy lingering in her features. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and his heart skipped a beat.
"Are you alright?" she asked him quietly not knowing the source of his sudden outburst. Adrien had always seemed so perfectly put together in her eyes but this was a side of him she had never witnessed. He was trembling but it couldn't be from cold, it was getting warmer now that summer had come around.
"Thank you," his hushed tone was barely audible over the sound of the sleepless city. She watched him quizzically, "for coming to check on me tonight. I... I know you know who my father is."
"Of course, he's Gabriel Agreste! One of the top fashion..." her lie faded and died on her tongue. She changed tactics. "You... you know about your father? But how? Cat Noir didn't tell you did he?!"
Adrien shook his head, turning the ring on his finger absentmindedly; a nervous tick he had. He would never be able to say the words out loud and he knew it. The golden-haired boy stared out at the city with unseeing eyes. This was it. He couldn't do this anymore. Adrien held his hand out to Ladybug, his fist tightly clenched.
Uncertainty evident in her movements, Ladybug began reaching for his hand. She hesitated for a moment, scared of what she might find clasped within his fingers. With her hand finally in place, Adrien let it go.
It was small but it had a good weight to it, like something made of metal or stone. She curled her fingers over it to be sure not to drop the object. She wasn't sure why, but she could feel her heart rated increase exponentially the closer she brought her hand to her face. She didn't want to unfurl her hand but she did.
She gasped and tears fell. For a long time, it felt as though time had both stopped and sped up. Droplets turned into a steady stream, hindering her vision. She turned her bluebell gaze on the boy beside her, truly seeing him for the first time. Thrusting her hand into his chest she cried.
"No! I can't! I can't!" she begged him. "Take it back! I can't do this without you! Please, you can't quit on me, not now! I can help you, just please don't do this. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I should have done something! I should have helped you! I knew there was something wrong when you came to me this morning with the news about Hawkmoth! I just didn't know what it was and you didn't seem like you wanted to talk. So, I left you alone but I couldn't forget about you! I could never forget about you... We were always meant to do this together. Please, Cat Noir... I can't do this without you."
Ladybug cried into the boy's chest, one hand grasping at his shirt the other holding his Miraculous. She leaned into him. Perhaps it was selfish but she couldn't let Adrien quit. Not yet. She needed him, she always had, and now she knew she always would. She couldn't let him slip away.
"Don't cry, My Lady," Adrien's arms draped around her shoulders but his posture was stiff. Cat Noir would have given anything just yesterday to be able to comfort his Lady like this, but now... Now, he couldn't even enjoy her closeness. "I'm not worth your tears."
"You're worth so much more to me than tears, Kitty," She wrapped her arms around his chest, drawing him as close as she could. Ladybug was determined to feel the familiarity and warmth of Cat Noir's smile on her once again. "You are everything."
Adrien had to suppress a small sob, catching it in his throat. He couldn't breathe. The girl he loved was right here, seeing him for who he really was, and speaking her inner feelings. Feelings that, perhaps, she had never allowed herself to feel before. It made him want to smile but the reality that faced him was too great. Instead of joy over her confession, he only felt deep sorrow at knowing he could not overcome the trial set before him.
"I'm sorry, Ladybug," he sighed trying everything within his power to keep his tears at bay. "I just can't do it. I can't face my father. I'm not strong enough for this. I can't be Cat Noir if I'm going to be useless. This is the only way I can help you... You need to choose a new Cat Noir."
"The thing is, there is no one else who could take up the mantle of Cat Noir," Ladybug said pulling out of his arms and looking up into his eyes. The intensity of her will flared in her eyes, igniting that same fire within him. A fire that burned for justice. "Neither of us is strong enough to face this... not alone. But that's why you have me," she said bringing her hand up to caress his cheek. He hung on her every word, "and that's why I have you; with and without the masks."
She held her closed hand out to Adrien, silently begging him to take the ring from her hand. He took a deep breath, watching her hand through weary eyes. His gaze softened in his admittance of defeat. He could never tell her no for very long. He couldn't let her down.
"Do you mean it?" Adrien asked her holding his hand against his chest in apprehension. She tilted her head in an adorable fashion. "Even without the masks?"
"It all depends on whether you have truly decided to quit at being Cat Noir," she smirked at him. She knew she had him.
He ducked his head bashfully and held out his hand to her, feeling the familiar weight of the ring fall into his palm. He sighed as he slipped the ring onto his finger, the tension releasing from his chest.
Adrien was living a fractured life. He had been close to breaking, so very close. Yet there she was, the heroine of Paris, saving the day... just for him. He felt warm at the thought. He knew she would always be there for him, no matter what. Somehow, he knew everything was going to be okay.
"So..." Adrien said looking back at his Lady feeling the familiar grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Who is behind that mask?"
"You'll find out soon enough, Kitty-Cat," Ladybug giggled, the tears in her eyes shining brighter than the stars. Adrien lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss against it. And for the first time, she didn't pull away.