Au Revoir

Ch. I – Au Revoir

"Bugaboo! I got this!" Chat grinned at her as he stamped his pole on the ground boldly. She rolled her eyes as he waggled his eyebrows at her with that confident gleam in his eye that she secretly adored so much.

"Alright then, I'm counting on you m'kitty!" she teased back. "The hostages are all safe downstairs, but I'm gonna help them evacuate while you buy me some time. I need only a few minutes and I'll be right back."

They pumped their fists together in agreement. Ladybug dashed off to the basement to help the police with the victims while Chat Noir raced off to the attic where the foe awaited him. He ensured the coast was clear and scampered across the hallways one by one. Within a minute he was standing behind his mortal nemesis; Hawk Moth. The door was slammed shut behind him as he neared his fate. Hawk Moth had his back to him as he approached bravely.

"Chat Noir…." Hawk Moth turned towards him slowly with a stiff disapproving frown. "I was hoping for Ladybug, but you'll do for now."

"I'll give you just as much of a fight as m'lady would!" his fangs stuck out as he spoke. With a sudden serious tone he spoke, "This ends now. Right here and—what?!" he froze as he glanced at an adjacent wall to see a familiar panting.

Hawk Moth watched Chat's intensely curious expression and turned to see the painting on the wall. "Oh that? She was my wife, but she vanished some time ago. She was once a beholder of a Miraculous too. The peacock feather to be precise."

"…..M…M-Mom…?" Noir choked out in horror. Hawk Moth quickly turned back to Noir, then to the painting, then back to Chat. He leered at the boy for a second without a word. They locked eyes for a moment and Chat's voice shattered. "DAD!?" he shook visibly.

Hawk's expression went from mild curiosity to sudden realization. "Adrien…!"

Chat Noir took a step back in denial, something was wrong. There was a mistake somewhere, maybe mom had a twin or a look alike. But even then they wouldn't have the same painting and a son with the name 'Adrien'. Betrayal, guilt, and the feeling of being unloved enveloped him as his Miraculous deactivated to reveal his true form.

"It is you my son!" Hawk Moth stumbled forwards slightly.

"D-dad…." He took a deep breath. "You're a monster." The tremble in his voice cracked his words.

Hawk Moth deactivated his Miraculous to stand as Gabriele Agreste before him. He reached out with one hand shakily towards his child. "Join me, and I shall grant you the entire universe!" he offered with sincerity in his voice.

Adrien shook his head fearfully. "No… It's me or the Miraculous." He said as the first of tears welled up in his eyes. Gabriele withdrew his hand and felt what could be described as 'shame'. For a moment he thought of his options and weighed them. He would never raise a hand to harm his son, but he was Chat Noir. They stared at each other, neither wavering in their stance. Tears streaked Adrien's cheeks as his tears poured forth and he sobbed slightly.

"What if I gave you Ladybug's Miraculous? We could rule the world together! As father and son! I could control people while you wielded the ultimate power! It's a perfect plan!" he threw his arms out with an unsure smile hoping that blood would overpower water.

"Never!" Adrien screeched as he held his ring up high. "Plagg, claws out!" he yelled as he transformed back into Chat Noir. He readied his pole at his father and prepared himself for the fight ahead.

Before him stood his son, the beautiful model, the graceful teenaged boy that carried on his legacy, and the only person in this world left in his heart at all. Gabriel felt the warmth of both love and tears overwhelm him.

"Adrien…I love you more than anything else…. More than fame…. More than money…." He spoke so gentle and with such love in his voice that Adrien's heart couldn't handle it.

"Don't even try to- to win me over with the words I've always wanted to hear!" Chat screamed loudly as he took a dauntless step forwards. Gabriele allowed a tear to stain his face as he kneeled down on one knee.

"I love you more than power… More than myself…" Gabriele spoke softly, acknowledging that he could not only not win his son over, but had no to heart to fight him. "Adrien, my most beloved child….the most precious being in all of Paris…..in all the world…" he spoke with sorrow as he placed a hand over his Miraculous. Adrien watched as he ripped the pendant off of his neck and held it outward towards him.

"Dad…" was all he could whisper as he reached out and placed his hand atop the pendant.

Gabriele looked up into Adrien's cat-eyes. "Let's go home, son." He said with a smile. His smile may have been weak, but it held a decade of locked up emotions that were imprisoned in his heart.

Adrien took the pendant and held it firmly as he watched his father stagger to the floor. Adrien kneeled by his side sobbing. He wasn't sure if he was ecstatic, mortified, or remorseful. "Dad! Dad! Get up! Are you ok?" he screeched out desperately.

"Who….are you?" Gabriele asked with a groggy voice. Adrien furrowed his brow through the mask as he looked into his father's face with confusion.

"Are you ok?" Chat asked again as he wiped his own tears away.

"I'm fine, but who are you…you…cat-boy?" Gabriele sat upright into a position to get a better look at this weird fellow.

"Chat!" came the voice of Ladybug as she ran down the hall and into the room where the two were kneeling on the floor. "Chat?" she questioned as she saw tears in his eyes.

"It's over Ladybug…" Chat smiled darkly. "We won." He whispered faintly.

Ladybug walked cautiously over to the two and examined the situation. She gasped when she saw what was in Chat Noir's grasp. "You did it! You beat him all on your own!" she exclaimed.

"I won alright…" he whimpered. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he truly won or not. On one hand Hawk Moth was no more, but then again it was apparent that his father lost his memories to some degree. The memories of being fond of his son for once.

"Why are you so grim Chat?" she asked worriedly.

"It's nothing!" he lied suddenly with a sharp inhale. "We won! We can all go home now and….and…"

Ladybug got her first good look at Hawk Moth's identity and took a step back in shock. "Gabriele Agreste!? Th-the fashion designer!?"

"Why yes, that's me." Gabriele said almost dumbly as he rose to his feet leaving the 'cat-boy' kneeling on the floor.

"I don't understand, what's going on here?" she asked.

"I'll explain later, for now we need to get Mr. Agreste home safely where he belongs." Chat said as he stood up and walked past Ladybug. She felt the dark aura wrapping itself around Chat and began to worry. This ended all too fast and she didn't even know what kind of battle the two fought or how Chat Noir managed to even win. She had so many questions that she felt like she shouldn't ask at the moment.

"Miss uhh…what's your name again?" Grabriele asked as he cleared his throat.

"I'm Ladybug, you know who I am don't you?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"Sounds familiar, aren't you one of those super heroes that fights crime in the streets of Paris at all hours of night and day?" he asked astounded.

"Why yes, yes I am!" she said proudly, but with mild confusion. Mr. Agreste knew who she was, what was going on here? "Sir, if you'd just come with me, we'll get you home safely."

XxX

Marinette sat in her room mulling over the details that Tikki and Chat Noir told her. She couldn't believe it, Hawk Moth was not only defeated, but he was Adrien's father all along and now he has no memories of being a super villain.

"That's the price you pay when you give up your Miraculous willingly." Tikki explained. "If someone steals it, then it's no big deal, you can just get it back. But when you place it in someone else's hands of your own free will…. You lose everything. I'm willing to bet that Mr. Agreste saw no other way out."

"That's so sad though, when Chat and I have to finally give up our Miraculouses I don't wanna lose my memories of you or him." She said bitterly.

"Like I said, it's the price you pay." Tikki sounded just as sad as Marinette.

"Oh, someday when I have to give my earrings up, I'll miss you dearly, even if I don't remember you. There will always be a hole in my heart where you belong." She sniffled as she spoke.

Tikki broke out into tears, something a Kwami doesn't normally do but once a lifetime. "Oh Marinette, I have some bad news for you!" she cried pathetically.

"Oh no, don't tell me…" Marinette could feel the rivers in her heart rising.

"Now that Hawk Moth is defeated, it's only a matter of time before Master comes to reclaim your Miraculous and we have to be separated."

"No!" Marinette snatched Tikki out of the air and snuggled her. "No! No!" she repeated hysterically.

"Marinette! Are you okay up there sweetie?" her mom asked as she rushed up the attic stairs and into her room. Tikki hid quickly, but Marinette was still a distraught mess. "Oh honey what happened?" she ran over to console her daughter.

"It's…it's nothing!" she choked out.

"This is not nothing!" she patted her on the back.

"My favorite…character on The Walking Dead died!" she said thoughtlessly.

"You look truly distressed over this character!" her mother said with genuine worry for her daughter's mentality.

"I'll be okay, I was okay after the last two of my favorites died last season!" she sobbed. Her emotions were legitimate, but her words were not.

"Well do try to calm down dearie. It is nearly midnight and you have school in the morning." Her mother sighed, what was she going to do with her?

"O-okay.." she whined as her mother retreated.

XxX

Plagg had explained everything as Adrien laid on his bed on his back feeling every emotion a mortal human could feel all at once. He felt heavy, he felt light, he felt small, bug, short and tall. He felt disgusted, he felt happy. He even felt relieved and burdened with a mixture of stressed and calm. His forehead was hot, but his feet were cold. His palms sweat slightly and his stomach rumbled hungrily.

"Adrien, it was fun pal, but nothing lasts forever." Plagg said as he sat on Adrien's heaving chest.

With each deep breath he took the cat was lifted and dropped gently. "I can handle the situation with my father, but….but what about Ladybug?" he asked hoarsely.

"Well, you could always see her one more time before Master decides to show up." Plagg suggested. "Tell her how ya feel, maybe she'll wanna stick with ya after you lose your memories."

Adrien thought on it for a bit, then sat up. Plagg rolled down from his chest and onto his lap harmlessly. He gave his kwami a look of desperation. "I want to see her again."

"Well let's go stroll Paris and see if she's up and about patrolling!"

"…again and again and again… I want to see her every day for the rest of my life."

"Oh boy!" Plagg floated up to his face. "Here come the water works again. Don't you know cats don't like water?!"

"Plagg….claws out…"

Marinette just couldn't sleep. She transformed into Ladybug and roamed Paris for an hour. Since she wasn't using her abilities Tikki was holding up much longer than usual. She heard an all too familiar sound from across the street and witnessed Chat Noir kicking a tin can around on the ground like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. It kind of warmed her heart, but the sorrow enveloped her once more.

"Chat!" she called out.

"Bugaboo!" Chat's eyes lit up. She smiled up at him as he ran across the street to forcefully push himself onto her and give her the biggest bear hug she'd ever gotten and lifted her feet off the ground by a few inches. She giggled at him, but was secretly in a little bit of pain. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath through his nose. He'd never forget her scent, not even with his memories erased. She smelled like fresh rain and tea leaves.

He let her down gently, but kept the hug intact. They remained silent for a moment that felt like it went on forever. His ring flashed just as her earrings beeped. She pulled away and sighed.

"I've got to go-" she was cut off by him holding onto her wrist tightly.

"We're free now, remember!" he smiled at her. "How bad would it be if we transformed right here right now?"

"Very bad! Someone could be watching or-"

The look of desperation on his face made her stop. The beeping quickened signifying that they were almost out of time, less than a minute left.

"Princess, even if it's just for the last few seconds of my memories as Chat Noir, I want to see your face just once. Just once is all I want. After that our memories will be gone and no one will ever know." He begged.

Thirty seconds left. She thought quickly.

"It's too dangerous here. Meet me at the top of the Eiffel Tower at midnight tomorrow." She said as she made a dash for a hiding spot. He nodded and retreated as well.

XxX

It was an agonizingly long day at school. Marinette was too depressed to even stare at the back of Adrien's head, and he was too far lost in his own misery to even hear the teacher preach or Chloe ramble at him. Why on Earth he ever decided to go to school today was beyond him. The day passed by so slowly that he feared he'd breakdown into a fit of tears before the final bell rang.

"Dude Adrien, you look down in the dumps man. What's going on with you today?" Nico asked from beside him with a nudge of his shoulder.

"Nico, have you ever wanted something that didn't belong to you? Something you were never allowed to have…." Adrien asked with a solemn tone as his eyes fixated on the ring on his finger.

"Yeah! That new boombox in the window at the music shop on main street. That…thing…is—Adrien man you look like you're whole family got murdered or something." Nico said, he wasn't wise at choosing his words.

"Might as well have." Adrien moped as he sunk his head into his hands. He considered for a moment if he and Ladybug could just run away together to some foreign country. He was fluent in Mandarin Chinese, so maybe they could live there? Every idea flashed through his mind, but he knew that Ladybug wouldn't go for it. She was very 'by-the-book' and wasn't one to run away from her problems.

'Something that wasn't yours…' Marinette thought as she eavesdropped on their conversation. 'That sure sounds familiar.' Her hands absent mindedly went up to hear earrings and played with them. She patted her purse and felt the lump of warmth that was Tikki slumbering inside. A bittersweet smile graced her face just as Adrien turned around to face her.

Even though his heart and soul belonged to Ladybug, for just a moment his eyes belonged to Marinette. She looked like grace and elegance combined, not like her usual clumsy self. He turned back around and sighed deeply. He felt Plagg squirm slightly inside his jacket pocket and he smirked oh so lightly. He liked poking at Plagg to mess with him. Plagg had enough of Adrien's playfulness and took a quick sharp bite into his chest. Adrien flinched in pain and groaned a bit.

"Agreste, keep it down." Mrs. Bustier said then turned back to the board. "Now class, we have a special assignment. Adrien is going to be dancing with the winner of a contest next week, however he needs back up dancers to dance with the other finalists. His father suggested that everyone in the classroom be his backups."

"When did my father decide this?" Adrien's head snapped up.

"This morning." She said as she pulled out a cassette player and popped a tape into it. "Everyone get into tall-short pairs and head out to the gym." She ordered.

Chloe immediately launched herself into Adrian's arms, he could feel the frustration settling in already. He allowed her to hang onto him all the way to the gym because he had honestly stopped caring at that point. Marinette had her qualms but kept them to herself. Her thoughts were still preoccupied with Tikki and Chat Noir. They were stuffed into the gym where the teacher put on waltzing music and everyone got into pairs. Adrien had accepted his fate of dancing with Chloe when the teacher intervened.

"Miss Bourgeois, you're too tall to dance with Adrien. You will be with him." She pointed to Kim who blushed.

"Oh yuck!" she snorted as she stuck her tongue out. "I think Adrien can handle a tall, perfect girl like me!" she batted her eyes at him.

Adrien was no stranger to waltzing, to be perfectly fair he really wouldn't have an issue dancing with a tall girl, but since he saw a way to escape he took it. "Sorry Chloe, I need my routine to be perfect. I need a shorter girl."

"I… I can bend my knees a bit!" she hunched over and gave a proud grin.

"Miss Bourgeois, that is a terrible dancing pose. You'll trip and fall over or even break your neck. Not to mention you look positively silly." The teacher scoffed.

"This whole dance is just stupid! I'll have you know I've waltzed with short princes before without a problem! Who wants to participate in a high school dance when I can just attend another prince's ball whenever I want?" she skulked off somewhere to go rage her heart out.

"Marinette, you're the perfect height, why don't you take Agreste as your partner?"

Marinette turned a bright shade of bliss. Adrien was more than happy to extend his hand out to her, he'd rather dance with a klutz than a monster. The music was turned on and the couples began their twirls and stumbles. Luckily for Marinette Adrien was experienced enough to move around any mistakes she made. They glided across the gym in harmony, her eyes never left his for a second except to twirl around. While the other couples tripped and froze up here and there, Marinette and Adrien were as one.

"Very good Dupain-Cheng!" the teacher applauded.

Marinette wasn't sure what she liked more, Adrien pushing and pulling her in all directions, the soul connecting eye contact, or the fact that he never once let go of her hand. She basked in the warmth he radiated and relished the feeling of his other arm around her waist. In her mind they'd just gotten married and it was their first dance as newlyweds. He leaned her down and hovered his face very close to her neck for a moment before pulling her back up and twirling her around again.

Chloe watched with seething anger from the distance. 'It should have been me!'

The dance ended and everyone clapped at the blushing couple, Marinette felt as light as a cloud. He bowed to her and kissed the top of her hand before excusing himself. Marinette sighed dreamily and held her hand up to her chest.

"Girl, you got 'em! He's yours now!" Alya whooped from behind her.

"Not quite yet I don't, all I nee-" she froze when she suddenly remembered that she was losing the majority of her memories tonight. All the happy feelings flooded out of her and her hands dropped from her chest down to her sides. She didn't have time to drool over Adrien, right now Chat Noir and Tikki were her top priority. She walked slowly towards the front door exit with Alya following her silently. Her friend observed her odd behavior, Marinette wasn't typically a depressed person, something bad was up.

Marinette let out a deep aggravated sigh as she flopped down onto one of the concrete stairs and buried her face in her hands. Alya gave her a quizzical look before placing a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Okay, spill it. What's wrong girl?" Alya asked.

"I just…. Heard a bad rumor is all…" Marinette lied.

"Oh lord, if it's something Chloe said then don't pay any attention to it. That witch lies about everything and will say anything mean and nasty to hurt someone. No one even believes anything she says anyways. So why-"

"It's not Chloe." Marinette gave Alya a solemn expression. "It's Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"Ohhh! Gimme the deets girl! I need to know everything about Ladybug for my Ladyblog!" she said with excitement as she whipped out her phone and began recording her friend. Marinette put a hand on Alya's phone and lowered it down and shook her head at her.

"I heard that since now the super heroes have defeated their villain….they won't be appearing anymore. Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to disappear…" Marinette fussed with her purse as she pet it like a kitten. It was destroying her to speak those words.

"N..no….NO!" Alya stood up suddenly. "Who told you this?!" she demanded.

"I was nearby when they defeated Hawk Moth and…. I heard them talking about it, how they were going to…to…" She let tears flow again, she'd held it together fairly well all day at school. "Disappear." She finished with a sob.

Alya let out a horrific scream that alerted not only half the school to come rushing outside but also the police officer patrolling the streets came running. When they heard Alya ranting furiously about the rumor it began to spread like the plague. Within the hour it had made the news and the whole world was talking about it. Every news channel and broadcaster could only speak of the rumor.

'I've gotta go public and confront the people myself.' Marinette and Adrien thought simultaneously.

They transformed somewhere private and stood out in public just waiting for a news reporter to spot them. Chat was found under the Eiffel Tower while Lady bug was seen in front of the Louvre museum. It didn't take but a few minutes for news cameras to surround them both.

"It's true." Ladybug said with a low tone. "Chat Noir and I are no longer needed now that Hawk Moth is gone."

"Are you going to do a face reveal before you go?" a reporter asked.

"Of course not, I wouldn't want my normal life to be consumed by the fans." She gave a small smile.

Chat wasn't having as much luck as her with the questions.

"Chat Noir! Is it true that you told a high school student about this?"

"No! She must've overheard us." He was exhausted already.

"Are you aware that Ladybug is making her goodbye speech at this very moment as well?" another reporter asked.

"She is!? Where?" his ears perked up.

"In front of the Louvre, you can't miss her-"

Chat Noir was gone in a flash and was off to his lady's side. When he arrived he was greeted by Ladybug gingerly. Their warm reunion didn't stop the press from doing their job….pressing them for information.

Alya squeezed her way in and asked Ladybug more questions than she could answer. She did her best to satisfy the crying girl, but she knew the only thing that could make Alya happy was something she could not do; stay forever.

"Chat, Lady, why aren't you going to stay and help catch ordinary bad guys like bank robbers and convicts?" Alya begged.

"Well that's what you have the police for and besides…" Ladybug frowned.

Chat spoke up for her instead. "We don't have a choice. We were given our powers for the sole sake of defeating Hawk Moth and nothing more. Our job is done and it's time for us to move on."

"He's right. Before we became Ladybug and Chat Noir, we were ordinary high school students with our own ordinary lives to live. It's time we went back to that and just let this all be one big happy memory."

The world would remember them, but they wouldn't remember themselves. Something they both found to be incredibly unfair.

"It's the price we pay." She whispered to him.

"And our burden to bear." He added.

Their Miraculouses beeped and they made a break for it and ran from the press as quickly as possible. They parted ways wordlessly, only a glance that spoke louder than the screams in their hearts.

'See you tonight, m'ladybug…'

She wanted to make tonight as special as possible, even if she wasn't going to remember it. She wanted her last moments of being Ladybug to be magical. As ordinary Marinette she slowly walked into her bakery and began cooking. Since Adrien liked her father's croissants she decided they'd be the perfect snack for sitting atop the Eiffel Tower with Chat. She placed them in an unmarked box, she didn't want Chat hanging around the bakery looking for her if he knew she ever came here. God forbid he finds out she works here. Not that he'd even remember, but she wasn't taking any chances. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already seven (nineteen). She wrote a note on her bedroom attic door saying she was staying the night with a friend and left.

The sun was quickly setting on the horizon and she decided she would sit at the top of the tower waiting for him. She arrived shortly after eight (twenty) and said her final goodbyes to Tikki before transforming. Since she wasn't being active or fighting an enemy her transformation could last for quite a while, hours even. It's once she uses her lucky charm that gets her snagged for time.

"Well, this is it Marinette." Tikki said in her tiny voice. Marinette stood there as she allowed her emotions to overflow onto her cheeks.

"Oh Tikki, I can't do this….but I have no choice." She said with a whimper. Tikki could tell that the poor girl was falling apart inside, but she was trying so damn hard to be strong.

"You'll always be Ladybug, with or without the costume!" Tikki said. Marinette only had three words left to tell her precious kwami.

"Tikki….spots on…" she said for the last time ever.

Adrien had the same mindset as Marinette and climbed the tower earlier than planned to have time to clear his mind and reflect. You'd think the Eiffel Tower would be packed, especially as night drew near, but they were meeting up in a restricted upper section that only workers went to, which was hardly ever. When he reached the location he saw Ladybug sitting with her legs over the side with her back to him.

His angel sat so near to him, yet she would forever remain so very far away. He was tempted to walk up in trueform, but he decided that she might not believe it's him. He let Plagg out of his jacket and smiled up at him.

"So this it is, huh kid?" Plagg said quietly. Adrien looked down at his ring.

"It is. Plagg, thank you, for everything." He said warmly.

"Thank you too, Chat Noir." Plagg snickered at him. "Oh and…for the record…" Plagg paused and Adrien looked up at him curiously. "You were my favorite Chat Noir ever!" Plagg said jubilantly.

"Oh you're just saying that to cheer me up." Adrien smirked.

"No I mean it! It's not just flattery! The others were….narcissists. I mean you're a model and all, but you rarely act like one and…I'm gonna miss ya buddy!" Plagg teared up and flew to snuggle Adrien's cheek.

"I'll miss you too, even if I don't know it."

"I hope the next Chat Noir is like you." Plagg sniffled.

"Plagg…"

"Yeah Chat?"

"Claws out…" he said weakly.

He transformed one final time and relished it. He reached down to pick up his bag and noticed something familiar on the ground. 'A boombox?' he thought curiously. A visitor must have left it there, but it looked exactly like the one from school. He assumed his teacher had left it there and shrugged it off. He slowly walked over to stand behind Ladybug and just stared at the back of her head. She sensed his presence.

"You're early." She said softly. She was secretly glad, it meant that they had more time together. He took a seat next to her before noticing the solid white box beside her.

"I wanted more time with my Bugaboo!" she grinned at her and she immediately smiled wide. Something about him cheered her up no matter how grave the situation.

They talked for hours and just joked around. There was no specific topic, just their crime fighting experiences, their hopes and dreams, and their regrets. Everything they never got to say in between cases of akumatized victims was finally said. Since they hardly got to speak so casually because of time restraints on their disguises it was a refreshing change. They ate the croissants and drank the wine that he brought as they watched the sun drift off lazily to sleep.

"I want this moment to last forever." He said whimsically. "I wish time would just freeze. I would be totally content with living the rest of eternity at the top of the Eiffel Tower with you." He sighed dreamily at the thought.

She giggled lightly. "I'm not so sure about that, I do want to get married someday and have kids. I also wanna take over mom and dad's baaa—bath house!" she stuttered almost forgetting herself.

"Your parents run a bath house?" he asked with a snort. "Who even goes to those anymore?"

"Lots of people!" she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Aww come on Princess, I'm only teasing." He poked her arm with his claw. She tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it. His cheesy grin and eyebrow waggle were too much for her to not laugh.

"I'm glad we get along so well, it would have been too chaotic if one of us was a jerk." She said as she closed her eyes and basked in the moon's light. She looked divine in this moment, eternal even.

"Speaking of getting along well… I'm sure you probably already know this, but…" he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and she looked over at his pained expression. "…but I gotta say it at least once."

Oh boy, here it comes.

"Ladybug." He started and turned to her. She knew what this was and she wasn't about to take this moment away from him. She hoped it gave him closure. "I love you."

Her next words weren't what he was expecting to hear at all though.

"Oh Chat, I love you too, but there's someone who I loved first and whom I love more. Besides, any romance between us is strictly taboo." She explained with sorrow in her words. "We must never know who the other really is and we can't be together. We have to turn in our Miraculouses and lose our memories. We won't even remember being in love."

"I know that!" his voice hitched loudly. "But… just for a moment I want to pretend… pretend there's a way to…to.." he sobbed out. She could hear the desperation in his voice. Tears slid down his mask and down to his chin.

She couldn't take it anymore and wrapped her arms around him; a hug that was more than welcome and was returned quite strongly. His grip on her was just as tight as the previous night. She let him sob into her shoulder while she wept silently on his. They stayed like this for a minute before she began stroking hit soft blonde hair. It soothed him somewhat, but the anguish was still there.

In the distance an older man watched them and smiled. "I see no harm in letting those two remain together. They aren't like the old Ladybug and Chat Noir who-"

"You don't have to remind me!" shivered the kwami. "I still have nightmares about that night every once in a while!"

"Well I won't be reclaiming the Miraculouses right now, I'll let these two handle it until they pass away. The Miraculouses are probably in the best care as they are at this very moment." He said before pressing 'play' on the cassette player and vanishing.

Chat and Lady heard a noise from behind them and they both whirled around quickly hoping that they hadn't been spotted. All they heard was the familiar waltz music from school.

"The ballroom waltz song? The one for the contest with Adrien Agreste?" she asked cautiously.

"Your school is doing that silly dance thing too? My class had to do it as well." Chat said with an eye roll. "Although my dance partner was pretty cute… N-not as cute as you though!" he stuttered.

"Ohhh, why don't you marry her then?" Lady asked with a cheeky grin.

"I just might!" he crossed his arms and smirked at her. "She's my top pick aside from you right now."

They took turns teasing one another for a bit before Chat bowed down to her. "M'lady, wish to see who's a better waltzer?" He winked.

"I'll have you know my partner was a professional!" she said proudly and linked arms with him.

He took her hand in his and placed a hand on her slender waist. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gently slit it half way up his neck. She let some of his blonde locks between her fingers as they began to move very slowly. At first they stuck to the strict rules of proper waltzing before they slowly dissolved into some crazy version of the tango. They swung each other around almost violently, laughing and enjoying the freedom of the moment.

He let her drop down and let her slide under his open legs and pop up behind him. He spun around and lifted her off the ground and swirled her around before catching her in his arms and she descended back down to the ground. They held hands as they spun each other around in a circle and locked eyes as all of Paris spun behind them. He made her do a triple spin before grabbing her back into his hug. Her mouth was less than an inch from his and he took his shot, but she moved away too quickly and gave him a knowing, but flirty, smile. She was teasing him and he was going to get what he wanted from this vixen.

Their dance was all over the place, like they were rehearsing for broadway or some elaborate school play. Finally when they were exhausted they flopped down onto the ground on their backs panting. Their occasional giggle or heavy breathing was the only sound aside from the slow romantic music.

"I wish I could dance like that with…." She paused almost having said her crush's name.

"With your other boyfriend?" He asked.

"Other!? Neither of you are my boyfriend!" she exclaimed loudly with a beat red face.

"For the next fifteen minutes until midnight… will you be my girlfriend?" he asked as he laid his head next to hers.

She didn't even think before speaking. "Yes."

It was the happiest fifteen minutes of his life. He jumped up into a sitting position beside her and she followed suit. They sat face to face and spoke words of endearment and what their plans for the future were. He boldly asked her to sit in his lap and she obliged. She'd never had a boyfriend before or ever sat in a boy's lap. She thought it would be awkward, but it wasn't. He sat with his legs crossed while she sat with her bottom between his legs and her legs off to the side laying over his left leg. He put his arms around her and snugged the top of her head with his nose.

Seconds ticked by as they spoke. Seconds turned into minutes.

"At the stroke of midnight, will you remove my ring?" he asked with a gentle voice.

"And will you remove my earrings too, at the same time?" she asked and he mumbled an agreement.

Midnight drew near, just five minutes left.

"Have you ever been kissed before?" she asked knowing he didn't remember the kiss from when he was infected by Dark Cupid.

"No, girls have tried, but I wasn't interested in them. But I'd love to be kissed by you." He said and she blushed.

"I was kind of kissed once, does CPR count?" she asked knowing she was lying. It might as well have been CPR in his case.

"I'd say definitely not, if it was just to save someone then no. A real kiss is because you can't bear another second without their lips on yours."

"Then I want a real kiss." She said as she looked up into his eyes. It was usually him who made the first move, but she was taking the initiative and he loved it.

They stood up just as the midnight bells began chiming from the clock tower across the way. One minute was left and the bells would stop exactly at midnight. He took her hands in his and nervously leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. Their eyes were so close and she could see the words he wanted to speak written in his cat irises.

"I love you so much m'lady…"

"I love you too m'kitty…"

Their lips finally met as her hands went to his hair and neck while his wrapped tightly around her waist and back. Her lips parted slightly as he turned his head to the side a bit. She grabbed at his surprisingly soft hair as his hand went up so the side of her face. She stroked one of his cat ears once only find that it was merely part of the costume and entirely aesthetical. Her ear was in the palm of his hand. He was tempted to not take her earrings, but he knew what must be done. One of her hands went down his shoulder, traveled down his arm and down to his hand.

The chimes grew weaker signaling that there was less than ten seconds before midnight.

Their lips remained locked together as she gently slid his ring off and he pulled off one of her earrings.

"Au revior…" he whispered onto her lips as their transformations vanished.

BLK: There will be a second and third chapter. I just have to find time to write it.

Also 99% of the info in this is made up. I have no proof/reason to think that giving up your Miraculous actually erases your memories in the canon show. Also anything in this story about Adrien's mother is 100% fabricated. If something sounds fishy and uncanon, chances are it is because it is false.