After they finally captured Hawkmoth, Chat Noir and Ladybug have returned to their pretty normal life. Though they've had a lot of interviews since then, it only lasted a few months. The city of Paris was now fairly calm. There was no need for the heroes anymore, the heroes everyone once loved...
Every now and then, the two would meet up just to see how the other one was doing. It made both of them sad to admit that they missed fighting crime side by side.
It was their first year in college and Adrien finally had the guts to ask out Marinette. Defeating Hawkmoth with Ladybug gave him a boost of confidence. Of course, Marinette had said yes. After all, she was pretty obsessed with him.
A year has passed since Chat and Ladybug's major victory. Whenever Adrien wasn't with Marinette, he would go out and look for Ladybug. Not that he thought Marinette was boring, he just felt like something was missing. Marinette also missed being Ladybug and fighting alongside Chat Noir, but she understood that she was not needed right now.
Marinette could sometimes tell when Adrien felt down, but she never knew why. Anytime she asked, he would just tell her that he was tired. She knew they were lies. They've hung out almost every day since they started going out, so Marinette could tell when Adrien was lying. She didn't like the feeling, knowing that her boyfriend was lying to her..
It was Saturday morning and Marinette goes to Adrien's house to watch a movie in his room like they usually do. Today, they watched a Spider Man movie, the double life Peter Parker lived reminded Adrien of Chat Noir and Ladybug. He missed her and he wanted to find out who she really was. The boy stood up to look out the window. Frustrated, Marinette again asked, "Adrien, what's wrong? And please don't tell me you're tired."
But Adrien really was tired, tired of waiting for Ladybug to show up.
The boy stayed where he was while Marinette walked over to him. She paused the movie and looked at him, hinting that she wanted an explanation. He held her hand as the girl continued,
"I know something has been bothering you..Why don't you tell me the truth? Do you not want to be with me anymore?" She looked really worried.
"No, Marinette, that's not it. I love you."
"Please, Adrien, I feel like you're keeping something from me."
He didn't like that she felt that way, he didn't know if he could tell her the full truth, that he was Chat Noir and he was in love with Ladybug.
"Listen, and please don't get upset." Those words scared her. "I really do love you, but I also love someone else. I promise I'm not cheating on you, but I think I need some time to think."
"...Okay.." Her reply was better than he thought it would be. "I guess I should go home now."
As soon as she got done saying that, Adrien followed up saying, "I'll walk you."
After they said their goodbyes, Adrien was filled with rage and frustration. He was starting to hate this double life thing. He starts to run and run in a single direction, not caring about where he would end up. When no one was around, he transformed into Chat Noir, climbed up onto a tall building, and dropped himself down onto the roof. This was so stressful, it brought him to tears. "Why, ladybug?" He whispered to himself.
An hour passed and he was sitting on the same roof. Two hours passed and he still didn't feel any better. Three hours passed, then four.. then five. By then, his phone was spammed with texts and calls from Marinette. She was worried sick about him and started to get very nervous. Eight hours passed and Marinette finally decided to go look for him.. as Ladybug. She checks multiple buildings and asks people around the city if they had recently seen the famous Adrien Agreste. Ladybug started to panic. Out of desperation, she called Chat Noir. He looks at the caller ID and sees the picture of Ladybug, she was the reason why he was like this. One ring, two rings, three rings.. he doesn't pick up.
Ladybug then remembered she could track him on the GPS. She runs toward him and sees him in fetal position on someone's roof. "Chat!" she yells. He started to get up, only to kick her feet off the ground, making her fall back. The emotional boy pins her down and yells, "Fight back! Hurt me. Break my heart and make me hate you!" There was rage and sadness in his eyes. Ladybug couldn't move her arms, so she headbutts him. Chat gets off of her and covers his face.
"I won't fight you, Chat. Tell me what's going on." She didn't care that he just attacked her, she could tell he needed help.
"My girlfriend suspects that I'm hiding something from her, but I can't tell her that I'm Chat Noir. It's all because of you, why do I love you too?"
He started crying in front of Ladybug, he wasn't emotionally stable. She was unsure of where to take him, she couldn't ask him where he lived, and she couldn't take him to her house. His stomach started to grumble.
"How long have you been out here?" She asks.
"Don't know.." He says while looking down at the ground.
He'd been on the roof for eight hours straight and hadn't eaten, he had no energy.
Not only was he depleted of his energy, Plagg had kept him in transformation all that time. They both needed sustenance.
"You need food, wait here and I'll get you something." She gets up when he says,
"Wait!... Make sure you get some camembert… For my kwami."
Ladybug goes to her family's bakery to get some food then looks for a fromagerie to get the camembert. Almost half an hour goes by and she returns to the same spot. Chat's ring starts to beep and blink.
"Your kwami must've exerted himself to keep you transformed. Here," she shows him the food she's brought. "I'll turn around, so go ahead and de-transform."
The cat had no energy to answer, but he did as she said. He grabs the food from Ladybug's hands, they both turn their backs to each other, and Chat starts to eat. Plagg was especially thankful for the camembert. She hears him de-transform, but has the strength and self control not to turn around. The girl waits a while to let her partner eat.
"So… your situation, it seems tough… "
Ladybug thought of how her situation seemed similar, but decided not to mention it. She thought it was for the best, even if Paris didn't need them anymore.
"Ladybug-"
"Thanks for the camembert!" Plagg interrupts Adrien.
"Listen, Ladybug…" Adrien started again. "Please tell me who you are… I just- I need to know."
She wanted to turn around and look at him; she wanted to look at his expression and into his eyes. A tiny part of her wanted to tell him, but she just couldn't. She takes a deep breath. "No." Ladybug kept her composure. Adrien wasn't happy to hear that. He starts to get angry again and his expression intensifies. Without thinking, he gets up and rushes to stand in front of Ladybug. She realises what he was doing and quickly turns her head.
"What are you afraid of!? Open your eyes and look at me."
The girl tries to stay calm.
"Knowing each other's identities could be problematic." Ladybug replies.
"What if I told you my real name, right here, right now?" He asks.
Ladybug looks out at the city,
"If that were to happen, then I'd have to leave Paris."
"Then I'll follow you out of here!" He exclaimed without hesitation.
Both Ladybug and Adrien's eyes started to water. She could tell he really was in love with her.
"And if I were to find out your identity?" The boy asks.
"Then I'll never show my face again. I'll stop being Ladybug." She retorts.
"I have money. I could have the FBI search for you! I'd never stop searching even when they give up. Do you hate me that much to leave me and Paris forever?!" Chat was yelling.
"No, Chat. Actually, it's quite the opposite."
She puts her hand on his shoulder, still not looking at him. Adrien, still persistent, grabs Ladybug's shoulders to turn her around to face him. Again, she looks away, but also pushes him. This was a mistake. The boy loses his balance and falls off the roof he had been on for about nine hours. Ladybug realises what she has done, but hesitates for a split second before turning around to help. She goes to grab him, mentally preparing herself to realise his true identity, but as she looks down, Chat Noir had saved himself with his staff.
Her eyes were filled with an emotion she couldn't explain, she didn't know if she should feel relieved or disappointed. Chat's eyes were still filled with sadness. She offers him a hand to help him back up, but once he's back on the roof, not a single word left their mouths. They look at each other for a moment, then turn around and run in opposite directions. Before Chat could go back home, he receives a text from Ladybug,
Go talk to your girlfriend.