So….don't mind me. Ever since I got hooked onto Miraculous Ladybug (aka the first five minutes of Episode One), watched all the episodes and read all the fanfics I could possibly find, I started to wonder about not just who proceeded our lovely Ladybug and charming Chat Noir, but what it would be like if they actually met the Ladybug and Chat Noir who preceded them. So...yeah...this is what I've got.
London, One Year Ago:
Alex sighs as he curls up his yoyo, looking around. His lovely Chat Noir had to be around somewhere. The brown haired boy knew something was up-she wouldn't have been avoiding him for the past few days since they defeated their Hawkmoth. Alex scans the horizon and spots his leather clad partner, quickly swinging over to her. "You've been avoiding me, Chat. You know you can talk to me about anything."
There's no response for a moment, but a soft voice breaks the silence. "I'm sorry, Ladybug. I just needed some time to clear my head." The girl turns to look at him, her inky black braid swinging over her shoulder.
"My lovely kitty, don't apologize. I understand that you've been troubled the last few days." He sits next to her on the ledge, pulling closer to her. "Penny for your thoughts?"
She shakes her head, "it's nothing for you to worry about, really, Ladybug. You should go and finish your patrol."
Alex shakes his head as well, gently settling his arm around her shoulders. He's careful not to pressure her in any way. More than anything, he wants to kiss her. After all, he's worked with her for the past three years. It was hard for him not to fall in love with her….if only she felt the same. To her, he was simply Ladybug. She always rejected his suggestions to reveal themselves to each other, saying that it was too dangerous. But again and again, he just wanted to know who she was under that mask...to find out who was the girl he fell in love with. "You know I can't do that. Not when my sweet kitty is troubled. You know you can trust me."
Chat lets out an audible sigh, and she looks up at him, her dark brown eyes meeting his. "We've defeated Hawkmoth. And that's wonderful. But we both know what that means. Our kwamis need to go to their new hosts-because out there, somewhere, there's going to be a new Hawkmoth, and you know it. They just don't want to tell us yet."
He bites his lip, and he knows she's right. "Yeah….are you worried about it?"
"Worried? Not really. I'm going to miss Plagg though...he's great company since we are so alike-we love to eat, we're both snarky and sarcastic...and I'm going to miss the freedom I get as Chat Noir, you know?"
"Well….we don't have to lose everything when they're gone." Alex helps her stand up and continues to gaze into her eyes.
The spell is broken, and his love pulls away from him. "Ladybug….we've talked about this before. We can't….I can't...I'm sorry. It's not like I don't trust you...I just can't get myself to reveal who I am to you….I'm so sorry…" Chat turns her back to him, closing her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her body.
Alex sighs. This always happens… "Chat….if this really is one of the last chances where we get to see each other, I want to know who I fell in love with."
She whirls around to face him. "Ladybug, you don't know the real me. You'd be disappointed if you found out who I really am. Besides...I'm in love with someone else. It's better if we don't know anyways...just in case something happens…"
"I know you love someone else, but please, kitty….I don't want us leaving from each other with the chance that this is the last time we see each other...even if you don't love me back, I want to know who I've trusted my life with the past three years." Alex looks at her pleadingly.
Her voice drops to a whisper, and her eyes drop to the ground, looking anywhere but him. "I'm sorry….I'm so so so sorry….I just can't...I can't disappoint you now...I'm sorry Ladybug…" she runs across the roof, away from him, and leaps away, across the horizon.
He just stands there, and even though he knows he could catch up with her if he tried, he knows it'll be no use. He could never force her to show him who she is. Alex slumps against one of the chimneys and de-transforms, Tikki plopping in his hands. "I'm sorry, Alex. I know how much you love her." She looks up at him with those beautiful, pure and innocent eyes.
"It's okay….it was a futile attempt anyways. If she didn't want me knowing who she was for the past three years, she certainly wouldn't want me knowing now." He rubs her head affectionately, pulling a chocolate-chip cookie from his pocket. "So is it true? You and Chat's kwami are going to find another Ladybug and Chat Noir?"
Tikki sighs and looks up at him sadly. "Yes….I'm sorry Alex. I really wish I could stay longer with you...but we both know that Hawkmoth isn't going to stay down forever. I'll try to stay as long as I can, but eventually I will need to find another Ladybug."
Alex sighs, leaning his head back against the chimney. "Well, I suppose it was too much to hope that this would last forever. But for what it's worth, Tikki, these three years with you have truly been amazing." He smiles sadly at her, setting her on his knee. "I'm going to miss you, Tikki."
"Me too, Alex. I'm going to really miss you too." She sighs and nibbles on the cookie slowly. "If it makes you feel any better, I can say with no doubt that, you, Alexander Wuschner, will be a very difficult standard for my next Ladybug to match up to."
"At least we'll have our memories, won't we, Tikki?" He sighs and looks at his beloved cufflinks, his precious Miraculous.
"Yes...at least there will always be that."
Terese sighs and stares out on her balcony, gazing at the stars. "Were you ever going to tell me, Plagg?"
The cat kwami sighs, nibbling at the Camembert in his hands, for once not devouring it whole. "I don't know, Terese. You're a smart girl. You would have figured it out...we both know I never would have really found a good time."
"You know, you're being awfully somber, you gluttonous cat. That's so unlike you." Terese manages a small smile at him.
"And you're trying too hard to hide your sadness. You know you don't have to be strong all the time." He swallows the cheese, floating on her head to straighten the stray hairs on her face in that parental way that just naturally comes out in him. "You may not want to tell Ladybug the complete truth about yourself, but you know that I'm always here to listen."
"I…." the Asian girl looks at him, the vulnerability finally showing itself on her face. "I'm going to miss you so much, Plagg. You gave me the freedom I've always wanted...the freedom I've needed for so long…"
Plagg lands on her shoulder and cuddles up to her, trying his best to comfort her. "Now Terese, just because I'll need to leave doesn't mean that it has to end completely. You're still Chat Noir, with or without the mask. Sure, you won't be able to destroy things as easily as you could as Chat Noir, but still. You will always be Chat Noir, with or without me."
Terese rubs the ring on her finger and sighs, reflecting how the Miraculous had truly transformed her life. "I guess you're right, Plagg. I'm just so nervous...you know how I get about abandonment….I hate losing people I care about…"
"I know, I know. But there's no need to fear. You'll always have a part of me with you at all times."
She nods and sighs, her shoulder slumping a bit. "I'll never forget you, Plagg. We'll always have our great memories, right? We always were a purr-fect team."
Plagg snickers a bit and ruffles her hair a bit, smiling at her. "That's the Chat I remember choosing all those years ago. And yeah...there will always be the memories. If it's worth anything to you, just know this. Terese Nguyen, you will be one of the most difficult Chat Noirs I'm going to have to find a replacement for."
A small smile graces her features, and she rubs Plagg's head affectionately. "Yes, Plagg. That actually does make me feel better. Thank you."
One week later, no one seems to notice in the entire Year 11 class that Alex is no longer wearing his signature cufflinks, nor that Terese is no longer wearing her classic ring.
Okay, so I know there's been no real mentionings of our beloved Adrien and Marinette as our fearsome duo, but fear not. This isn't going to be a fic where I only have my OCs, I promise. Was I being personal with the creation of my OCs? Of course. I'll admit to that. But I swear, with a few more hours, I'll have another chapter whipped up where we see the connection between our previous Ladybug and Chat Noir with our current ones.
Until then, this nocturnal author says adieux.