A/N: Hey guys! It's been a while. A mix of lack of inspiration, motivation and life happened which is why I've been quiet on the FanFiction front. Hopefully you'll enjoy this though! I will admit it, part of this is complete self-indulgence where I was in the mood to write some angst but hopefully a decent story will come out of it...
- Lady B x
It was late when Marinette felt a gentle tug on her pyjama top and heard her name whispered so delicately it was almost drowned out by the rain outside. The sky was cloaked in darkness, but the illumination from the streetlights had cast the city in an orange hue which trickled through Marinette's window. Her room was silent except for the raindrops crashing against her skylight and the groan of the pipes beneath her floor. Sighing, Marinette rolled to her right, groggily opening her eyes to view the one who'd awoken her.
"Tikki?" she murmured. "What's going on?"
"Chat Noir is outside. He looks really miserable and I'm concerned," Tikki said softly, rubbing her tiny paws together in worry as she floated beside her chosen. Marinette sighed once more as she sat up, one arm outstretched to grab her phone from the ledge above her bed.
4:10am, the phone's digital clock read.
"What the hell is that cat doing?" Marinette groaned in frustration, but she pushed the quilt off her body and stood on her mattress so she could reach the rooftop window regardless. Pushing the window open, she was instantly greeted by drops of rain falling onto her loose hair and the bitter autumn breeze kissing her cheeks. Her initial reaction was to pout her lip in annoyance, until her eyes caught her partner on the opposite rooftop.
He was sat with his knees to his chest, holding them tightly against himself. His gaze was at the half moon that hung over the Parisian skyline, the stars overpowered by the city's illumination. His blonde hair was so drenched with rain water he almost looked brunette. His suit was faring as better protection for his body, the water gliding down the leather-like material with ease. Marinette couldn't read his expression from the distance she was at, but she still felt an uneasy lump in her throat.
She ducked back into her room and called Tikki to transform her. Ignoring her usual transformation routine, she climbed down the steps of her bed to grab an umbrella as her suit was capturing her body. She was fully spot-clad by the time she began climbing back up to her bed, and quickly swung out of her room and across the rooftops.
Chat Noir didn't notice he had company until the raindrops above his head quickly ceased. He looked up to see his lady holding a black umbrella over his head, a worried smile gracing her peach lips.
"You okay, kitty?" she asked gently.
His luminous cat eyes could hide his real iris colour, but not the sadness within them.
"I need to tell you something," he choked out, in barely a whisper. Ladybug sat beside him on the rooftop, allowing her legs to dangle off the edge as shifted closer to him so the umbrella covered both their heads.
Placing the hand that wasn't holding the umbrella on his shoulder she said, "You can tell me anything. You're my best friend."
Chat Noir took a shaky breath, his whole body shuddering. He couldn't meet her eyes, his gaze meeting the Eiffel Tower in the distance. His stomach churned with anxiety, his heart felt heavy against his chest, almost like he couldn't breathe. Yet he felt almost numb. "I have to tell you my identity."
Ladybug blinked in surprise; he'd always been respectful of her decision to not share their identities until after they defeated Hawkmoth. She didn't interrupt him.
"I know who Hawkmoth is," he said, turning to meet her eyes as she let out a small gasp. His face was cold and his tone dripping with ice. "He's my father."
Ladybug held his gaze and instead of recoiling away from him like he expected, her grip on his shoulder tightened.
"Are you sure?" she asked softly, leaning closer to him.
He nodded solemnly, his eyes returning to the skyline before them, as he retold his story.
It was late when Adrien heard his father's shout booming down the high halls of the mansion, knocking him out of sleep. Glancing at his phone on his bedside table, Adrien realised it was just gone three in the morning. Assuming that it was a client in some other country that had irked his father, Adrien decided to go attempt to calm him, just like his mother used to do.
He swung his legs out of his bed, his feet touching the cold, hard wood floor. Yawning, Adrien quietly made his way out of his bedroom into the empty hallway. He could see light spilling underneath the door of his father's office on the floor below, and began to descend the marble staircase.
"Sir, please try and calm down; you'll wake Adrien!" he heard his father's assistant say firmly, her voice slightly muffled by the grand wood door.
"I can't calm down, Nathalie! I've been doing this for two god damn years now and I'm no-where closer to my goal!"
A loud bang was heard and Adrien assumed his father had punched his desk.
"I understand it's frustrating, Sir, but you've made a lot of progress."
"Really? Because I don't see Ladybug or Chat Noir's Miraculous anywhere near my grasp, and I've akumatised a good chunk of Paris' population!"
Adrien swallowed a gasp, smacking a hand against his mouth to avoid his laboured breathing being heard. His chest tightened and he was suddenly hyper aware of his heartbeat. He swore he could feel the blood in his veins rushing through him, his ears ringing. The conversation between his father and Nathalie continued but he couldn't bear to listen anymore.
He tip-toed back up the staircase, trying to be as quiet as possible but all he could hear was the loud buzzing in his ears. He stumbled into his bedroom, pushing the door quietly to behind him before dashing to his bathroom. He locked the door behind him before he lurched forward to the toilet, emptying the contents of his churning stomach. Unnoticed by his chosen, Plagg phased through the bathroom door and floated cautiously next to the boy.
"Ew, kid, what did you eat?" Plagg said. Adrien didn't answer, he simply wiped his mouth with his arm and flushed the toilet, taking a shuddering breath before staggering over to the sink. Grabbing a glass, he ran the tap and filled it with water before downing the contents. He slammed the glass back down, leaving the tap running, and clutched the sides of the marble sink tightly, staring at the floor as he breathed heavily.
"Kid, you're scaring me here," Plagg said, floating closer.
"My father is Hawkmoth," Adrien breathed out, not looking up. He barely whispered the words but he knew Plagg had heard from the tiny gasp that escaped him.
"Did you know?" Adrien whispered, shakily, his sad eyes locking onto Plagg's.
"Of course not! You think I'd let you stay here not knowing? I want nothing more than for you to be safe and happy!" Plagg cried.
Adrien looked away, tightening his grasp on the marble edge. He met Plagg's eyes again in the mirror.
"What do I do, Plagg?" he asked quietly.
"We'll go see Master Fu. He'll help you. And of course, Ladybug will," Plagg said confidently, ignoring the rage and despair that was bubbling inside of his tiny body.
Adrien nodded, and for a few moments silence fell between the pair, the only sound the gushing water from the tap.
"First, can we go for a run? I need to clear my head."
"Anything you need, kid, just say the word," Plagg said, "But first…" he paused, floating over to his chosen and hugging his face. "You know I love ya, right?"
Adrien wrapped his hands round his kwami, a gentle sob escaping his lips. "I love you too, Plagg," he whispered, tearfully.
"Chat…" Ladybug breathed. "I… I'm so sorry."
He didn't respond, just continued to stare thoughtfully into the Parisian night. She shifted closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder, taking her free hand in his own.
"You don't have to tell me who you are, you should be able to tell me on your terms," she murmured, running her thumb against the back of his hand.
"I can't take that luxury anymore, M'lady. If he finds out I'm Chat Noir I'll need you to take Plagg and protect him for me, and for that to happen you need to know who I am."
Ladybug sighed. "Okay, as long as you're sure, then we'll tell each other our identities."
"No," Chat Noir cried out, his head snapping round to face her. "You can't tell me who you are!"
"Why not?" Ladybug asked, her brow furrowed. "I thought you wanted to know?"
"I did! I do!" Chat replied, his voice desperate. "But what if my father finds out I know who you are? What if he akumatises me? What if I hurt you?"
"You would never hurt me," she said with such confidence his heart soared, despite its current heavy weight.
"Bugaboo," he said, desperately. "Please. I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you. Do you have any idea what you mean to me?"
Her voice cracked as she replied. "I really do," she sighed in resignation. "Fine, I won't tell you."
"Thank you," he whispered, placing a kiss to her forehead. Her cheeks flushed, which she told herself was from the cold. She abandoned the umbrella behind them, grabbing both of his hands in her own.
"Before you tell me, kitty, I want you to know that no matter who you are under there, you'll always be my best friend… And a massive dork," He let out a watery laugh as he looked at their entwined hands. She released one so she could cup his face. "You are one of the kindest, loyalist, nerdiest and most amazing people I know, despite the fact your father is a huge jerk. No matter who your father is, or what your father does, he can never do anything to change how I feel about you."
"Thank you, bugaboo," he whispered, placing a delicate kiss to her hand as tears filled his eyes. "Are you ready?"
She nodded, her heart pounding with anticipation and adrenaline. He stood, pulling her up with him, and led her to a private alcove on the rooftop.
"Plagg, claws in," he murmured, not breaking eye contact with her. A green light enveloped him, starting at his feet and shooting up his body to his hair. Suddenly, the black, leather suit, mask and cat ears were replaced with cotton pyjama bottoms, a black t-shirt and the saddest, most gorgeous green eyes. His cute cat kwami rested on his shoulder protectively.
"A-Adrien?" she choked out.
At first his heart snapped, thinking she was disappointed with his civilian identity. Until she wrapped her arms around his chest tightly, her head resting against his chest. "You don't deserve this," she cried. "No-one does, but you deserve it the least out of anyone."
He enveloped her in return, nuzzling his face into her hair, the scent of her rose shampoo caressing him. He began to lightly sob against her, which caused her to cry in return. Plagg nestled into his neck, cuddling his Adrien lovingly. Adrien and Ladybug continued to hug tightly as the sky cried with them.
Time passed, neither was sure how long, and their sobs subsided. Ladybug rubbed Adrien's back gently as he shivered against her. She knew it wasn't from the cold.
"You know me, don't you?" he whispered into her hair. "When we're not Ladybug and Chat Noir."
She nodded against his chest and she felt him exhale heavily, her head moving with his breathing.
"I really want to know who you are, my brain is running wild with possibilities, but you have to promise me you won't tell me until this is all over," he said, stroking her hair.
"I promise," she murmured. She pulled back to meet his eyes. "Begrudgingly."
"Thank you, M'Lady," he said and she shivered at how simultaneously unusual and familiar it felt for Chat's nickname for her to fall from Adrien's lips.
They stayed silent for a few minutes longer. Adrien gave her a sad smile which she mirrored, before he broke eye contact to look into the distance.
"I need to go see Master Fu before the sun rises and father realises I'm gone," he said, downtrodden.
"I'm coming with you," Ladybug said, in a tone that told him she wasn't up for negotiation. So, he nodded. He called for Plagg to transform him, the leather suit hugging his skin once more. Ladybug entwined her fingers with his, before the pair flew off into the night in search of the great guardian, Master Fu.