A/N: Just so you know, this was inspired by a Taylor Swift song. Yeah. Think about that.
Ladybug never thought that she would miss Chat Noir's flirting. She never thought she'd miss his constant presence or witty retorts. All of a sudden, the saying, "you don't know what you have until it's gone" makes so much sense to her. Of course, he's not missing or anything. Chat is still there, with her for every fight. But he might as well not be for all the attention he gives her. He never says anything anymore, just shows up, does his job, and leaves.
And Ladybug is getting sick of it.
She's certain that she didn't do anything (did she?), so it must be something happening in his personal life. Or maybe he's just realized that she's not as great as the public seems to think. Either way, she's going to talk to him and figure this out, because it's seriously getting ridiculous.
It's not easy to corner Chat Noir, but being his partner and having superpowers certainly makes it easier for Ladybug. She decides to do it as soon as they finish capturing an akuma. That way, he's unprepared for an attack, and everyone is out of harm's way.
The next time someone gets akumatized (which is sooner than she anticipated (the akumas really are becoming more and more frequent)) she's ready. Chat Noir turns to leave, having seen Ladybug purify the akuma, but before he so much as reaches for his staff, she's already upon him. Literally.
She tackles him to the ground, sending his staff skidding across the asphalt and successfully out of reach. Some might even say that she's straddling Chat in order to accomplish this, but she ignores those people. Because that is seriously not the issue at hand.
"Chat, what's going on?" She demands, from atop him, glaring down impatiently at her partner. "Why have you been avoiding me for the past few weeks?"
He just looks away nervously, chewing his lip in thought. She doesn't let that shake her resolve, though. Ladybug doesn't get ignored, she gets answers.
Finally, after about a solid minute of staring, Chat Noir sighs. "Alright, I guess you deserve to know. I probably shouldn't have kept it a secret for so long in the first place." He moves to sit up and she lets him, sliding back so he can move, but staying close enough that he knows escape is impossible.
"Well…?" Ladybug prompts after a moment of silence. She crosses her arms impatiently, making her displeasure regarding his recent behavior very, very clear.
Chat rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, looking at the ground rather than her face as he finally confesses. "I'm, well, moving. To North America. The good 'ol US of A." He chuckles dryly at his joke, though they both know there's nothing funny about this turn of events.
Ladybug sits back, running a hand through her hair while she processes this. "Moving…? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you even avoid me in the first place?" She asks, now more hurt than upset.
At this, Chat looks up at her, guilt evident in his eyes. "I… thought it would hurt less if I, well, distanced myself from you as much as possible before leaving."
Her heart squeezes, hurting on behalf of her friend, and she reaches out to touch him. When he flinches away from her hand though, she takes the hint and pulls away. She was been under the impression that Chat is in love with her (or at the very least, loves to flirt), but if he doesn't want her to be close, then she won't force it. "...so there's nothing you can do about the move, huh?" She says instead of focusing on her jumbled thoughts.
He laughs, but the sound is void of humor. "Yeah, as if. I'm 16, Ladybug, which means I legally still need to live with my dad. And there's no way I could ever possibly convince him not to move. He's sure that this is the best way to boost his career. Americans do love to spend money, or so he says."
She sighs, looking down at her hands, which she's folded in her lap. It makes her feel steady that way, more in control then she actually is. "Does that mean… that we're over?" She chews the inside of her cheek nervously, her stomach twisting unpleasantly at the thought. "We can't be a duo with the Atlantic Ocean between us, you know." Ladybug looks up at the sun as she does it, hoping it's heat will burn away the tears gathering in her eyes.
Suddenly, his arms are around her, holding her close in a hug that would be uncomfortable if she wasn't feeling so hopeless. So instead of pushing him away, she holds on just as tightly, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent any tears from escaping. "When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. Early." Chat tells her without hesitation, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry it took so long to tell you." He nuzzles her hair, probably thinking about how this is last chance to do so, but she doesn't mind. "Hey, can I ask you something?" He asks suddenly, after it becomes clear that she's not going to reply to his previous statement.
Ladybug hesitates, then nods. "Yeah, go for it." She might as well at least humor him, since it's his last day as her partner and all. She winces at the thought. Nothing will ever be the same without his stupid smirk and lame puns to look forward to.
He swallows hard, and pulls back, holding her at arm's length. "I know you've said no every other time I've asked, but I, well…" Chat looks away, "I want to see who you really are. Without the mask. So I can leave without too many regrets and opportunities missed."
She doesn't say anything for a long time, staring at the cracks in the ground and busying herself by trying to make a pattern out of them. When that doesn't work though, she's forced to face his question like a grown-up. "...could I see you, without the mask?" Ladybug asks quietly, still not looking up.
Chat nods rapidly, seeming awed that she's even entertaining his idea. "Y-Yeah! Of course! That is, if you want to, I mean." He says quickly, trying to pretend he didn't just slip up and lose his cool.
"You know what? I think I do." Ladybug forces a smile, finally looking up as she says this. "It would… mean a lot to you, wouldn't it?"
He nods again, more in control this time, and reaches for her earrings, only to flinch away and drop his hand. "Sorry. You probably want to do that, don't you?" He smiles, though the expression doesn't reach his eyes. Ladybug doesn't remember a time when his eyes were so… blank. Lacking their usual joy and luster. It's… unsettling, to say the least.
"Yeah. Of course." She agrees, taking a deep breath as she reaches up to touch her miraculous. She's not worried about Chat knowing who she is. He's leaving, after all, and who would believe him if he told, anyway? Klutzy Marinette as Ladybug? As if anyone would buy that.
No, she's nervous because, if she takes her earrings out, she isn't sure if she could ever put them back in. What would even be the point? She can't fight akumas without Chat Noir! The very idea brings a frown to her face. And even if she did want another partner, it's not like Paris is overflowing with willing superheroes. No, if Chat Noir goes, then so does Ladybug. It's that simple.
Chat doesn't say anything but, seeing how nervous she is, puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. He smiles reassuringly, and she manages a smile back. "Can we… do it at the same time, maybe?" Ladybug blurts out suddenly, breaking the tense silence.
He jumps slightly, not expecting her to say anything, but quickly recovers. "Sure!" Chat agrees immediately, his left hand automatically going to his ring. "On three, then?"
She closes her eyes, focusing on calming her racing pulse and, slowly, nods. It will be like ripping off a bandage, she tells herself. It's easier if you just do it all at once.
"One…" He begins, and she begrudgingly opens her eyes. There's no point in missing out. Especially if this is the last time she'll ever see him. "Two…" Doubts fill her mind, but Ladybug stubbornly ignores them. Whoever is under that mask, she can handle it. "Three."
And she pulls out her earrings.
Marinette watches, transfixed, as Chat removes his ring. His costume (along with the (admittedly) cute cat ears) disappears, sucked away with his Kwami. She blinks a few times, not quite processing the sight before her, then all at once, everything clicks.
Nearly falling over herself, her jaw drops lower than should be possible as she shrieks, "Adrien?" at the top of her voice.
He winces at her volume, his smile wavering but not falling. "Marinette. Heh, I should have known. It was pretty obvious, wasn't it?" He laughs, but she can tell it's forced.
The tears that she had forced away earlier come back with a vengeance. Not only will she be losing her partner and closest companion, but her crush as well? Marinette can't believe this is happening. She's only over tried to do the right thing, her and Chat both, so why is the universe punishing them this way?
When the tears finally begin to fall, Marinette doesn't notice them right away. In fact, she might not have noticed them at all if Adrien hadn't reached out and cupped her cheek, gently wiping them away. She doesn't flinch at his touch, but rather leans into it, holding his hand to her face while she struggles to keep her emotions under control. "I-I'm sorry." She says through her tears, closing her eyes. "I know this- isn't how you pictured the big reveal happening, and I know you were probably expecting someone better to be Ladybug, and I'm s-"
He cuts her off there, pressing a finger to her lips in a way that would make her blush if she wasn't feeling so miserable. "You have nothing to apologize for, Marinette." Adrien says earnestly, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. "Look, in all honesty, I've run countless scenarios through my head about what it would be like to finally unmask Ladybug and see the real her, and no matter how many different people I imagined her being, there's only one person I kept coming back to." He smiles, and her heart pounds a little faster. "I think I always knew it was you, deep down. And I know that there's no one else who could've been Ladybug better than you."
"A-Adrien." Marinette stutters, eyes wide. She had never known him to be so open and sincere with his feelings. "I don't know what to say."
He smirks, as if waiting for her to say something like that. "Then don't say anything." Adrien tells her quietly, and before she can ask what he means, he does something she hadn't been expecting in the least.
He puts a hand on her waist, leans in, and kisses her.
Marinette, of course, leans into his touch, reaching up to wrap her arms loosely around his shoulders. The kiss doesn't last for any more than ten seconds, and yet it leaves her feeling completely satisfied. It was everything she had expected a first kiss with Adrien would be like. Short, sweet, and utterly perfect without him even trying. But even as she finds herself smiling, Marinette can also feel something inside of her shatter. Because she can never do this again. He's leaving in the morning, and she's going to lose the two most important people in her life in one fell swoop. Nothing will ever be the same.
"Hey, Marinette?" Adrien speaks up, pressing his forehead to her's as he stares seriously into her eyes. "I know this is probably really obvious but, well… I love you."
She smiles back, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. This time though, Marinette refuses to let them cry. She can do that in private later. "I love you, too." The words come out easily, as if they had been on the tip of her tongue for months now. And, indeed, they had. "...can I… call you, after you leave?" She tries hesitantly, somehow knowing the answer before he even opens his mouth.
Adrien grimaces, but doesn't look away. "I wish. But- no. My dad is confiscating my phone and access to the internet. He wasn't me to focus on my modeling career and get ready to take over his 'fashion empire' once I'm eighteen." He chuckles humorlessly. "Until the day my dad dies, I'm going to be a very busy person. But… I'll try, okay? That's about all I can do in this situation."
She doesn't have to force it for a smile to decorate her features. "I'll wait for you, Adrien. You'll always hold a special place in my heart." She says sincerely. The words are cheesy, almost unbearably so, but she knows that they're true. And as long as Adrien knows that, then she can accept it if they never meet again.
This time, she's the one that leans in. They kiss again, longer and more passionately, than the last time. For the first time in her life, Marinette understands addiction, and what it means for there to be electricity between two people. If she could have it her way, they would never separate. But all good things must come to an end, and before she's anywhere near done, he pulls away, a strange look on his face.
For a second, she worries that she messed up, but Adrien just press a kiss to her cheek and stands up. "Goodbye, M'Lady." He says somberly, then turns and disappears down the street.
Marinette manages to hold herself together just long enough for the tap of his footsteps to disappear. Then the dam she had been rebuilding, even as it crumbled beneath her hands, collapses, and the tears begin.
A/N: You know, I was thinking of doing a continuation of this or something. Maybe Adrien comes back and Marinette has already moved on (or it looks like she has)? Or visa versa? I don't know. We'll see how it goes.