Disclaimer: I do not own and am not affiliated with Miraculous or its creators/producers.


Chapter 1: Telling the Truth (prompt: truth-telling and identities)

Chat Noir doesn't know where he would be without his Lady. It's as simple as that; no ifs, ands or buts, and no second guesses. But he can't tell you why.

If you ask him why he is so sure of this, he'll give you a cheeky retort about teamwork and needing someone to clean up the mess he makes fighting crime before high-jumping off over the rooftops of Paris. He'll be anwsering you honestly, too- Ladybug and him are a team and a good one at that. No other reason is needed. And, yet, it bypasses what he feels in his heart, so maybe he would be lying after all.

No, Chat Noir can't tell you why he needs Ladybug, or maybe he simply won't tell. But Adrien Agreste can.

If you ask him the same question, he'll tell you that Chat Noir isn't used to being seen as worthy or equal to another. He'll tell you that Chat Noir never knew that someone could appreciate and respect who he was inside until Ladybug came along. It sounds sappy and silly, but Adrien would mean it. Then he'd leave, waving pleasantly and looking for all the world like a kid on his way home and not a kid whose respite is the Paris skyline and the red-clad heroine who watches it.

Ladybug, on the other hand, knows quite well where she would be without her cat. She'll say she would be down a partner and second pair of paws in battling akumas. She'll make some remark about how losing Cat Noir would be terrible and how she couldn't imagine such a thing. She's an honest person as well and no less so by saying these things. But she, too, would not be wholly forthcoming, whether she knows it or not.

No, Ladybug can't tell you why she needs Chat Noir. But Marinette Dupain-Cheng can.

If you ask her why, she'll say that Chat Noir has become a friend- someone close to Ladybug's heart, though the hero blow such an accusation off. She'll pause thoughfully and say that she can't do it alone and that she needs her cat by her side to give her confidence and spirit when she lacks it. Then she'll smile gleefully and rush off to somewhere unknown like a girl late for class and not like a girl on her way to meet the sly gentleman who makes her feel wanted.

Heroes don't tell the truth. They tell you what you see and know. They tell what they know. They can't tell you everything.


A/N: I needed a place for the many Miraculous one-shots I have rolling around in my head and, thus, this was born! If you have any requests or prompts, message me or leave a comment- I'd love your suggestions :) Also, this chapter was heavily inspired by the song, "Running Back to You" by For The Foxes. Cheers, darlings, and Merry Christmas!