It was still dark when they reached Master Fu's shop. The hour was trickling into the early morning, but the sun wouldn't be rising for another couple of hours due to the November month. Ladybug tapped gently on the guardian's front door whilst Chat looked down the street pensively, his eyes glazed over in thought. The pair were soaked from the rainfall, water dripping from the ends of their hair.
Chat was quickly knocked from his trance as a green light flashed in the key hole, and the door opened to reveal a tiny, jade coloured turtle floating in front of them.
"Sorry to turn up so late, Wayzz," Ladybug said. "We just really need to see Master Fu. It's urgent."
Chat flinched at her words and the spotted hero reached to entwine her fingers with his, her gaze still on the turtle kwami.
"Not to worry," Wayzz said, kindly. "I sensed Plagg's distress and had a feeling something was terribly wrong; I expected you to turn up here. I'll go inform Master, please come in."
The two heroes stepped into the cramped, dark hallway, closing the door behind them as Wayzz phased into another room.
"Come in, you two," a familiar voice called a few seconds later. Ladybug pulled open the door decorated with bamboo trees, one hand still clutching Chat's. Master Fu was knelt on the wooden floor in front of them, pouring green tea into three regular sized cups and one tiny one the size of a thimble, presumably for Wayzz.
"What seems to be the problem, you two?" Master Fu asked. His eyes snapped to their intertwined hands, but he didn't comment.
Ladybug opened her mouth to reply, but Chat cut across her.
"Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth," he said, his tone devoid of any emotion.
The cat hero watched as Master Fu's expression turned cold and contemplative; Chat could tell the guardian's mind was whirling with thoughts about the implications of his statement.
"That… Certainly is a rather large development," Master Fu said, cryptically, his eyes shooting between the two heroes.
"Ladybug knows who I am, Master," Chat Noir replied, calling for his transformation to drop. Plagg zipped out of his ring, placing himself in Adrien's shirt, his little head poking out of the top of the pyjama top. Master Fu wasn't sure if it was for Adrien's comfort or his own. "I know we're not supposed to reveal our identities, but given the circumstances I had no choice."
Master Fu shook his head. "No, that is completely understandable. You made the right choice," he paused, his face dropping with anguish. "Adrien, I can assure you when I chose you for the Miraculous, I had no idea…"
Adrien raised a hand to stop him, "It's okay, Master, I know."
Master Fu sighed deeply. "With all this in mind, I must ask you… Do you want to keep your Miraculous and continue being Chat Noir?"
There was a heavy silence in the room. Adrien felt Ladybug subconsciously tighten her grip on his hand and Plagg shift closer to him, hugging his shirt like a blanket, but neither said a word.
"Is it safe?" Adrien asked tentatively. "For me to have it? My father is Hawkmoth after all. I know who you are, where the Miraculous are kept…"
"If you're implying that you might be turned against us, even unwillingly, I have no concern about that," Master Fu cut across him, his tone firm. "It's whether you're prepared to fight along side us against your father. It's not something I intended to ask of you when I first gave you the cat Miraculous, and I can understand if it's not something you're prepared for."
Adrien pursed his lips, his eyes dropping to the floor. "He may be my father, but I can't excuse for what he's done… I need to understand why he would do this. I need to stop him, and make this right."
"Your strength knows no bounds, Adrien," Master Fu said, proudly, a warm, paternal smile on the old man's lips.
Adrien rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Besides," he said, his gaze dropping to the kwami in his shirt. "Plagg has changed my life for the better and he's one of my best friends, I'm not giving him up."
Plagg sniffed loudly, his words muffled by tears. "No need to get all soppy, kid," he said, his large green eyes looking up at his chosen affectionately.
Adrien smiled softly back at him, rubbing his tiny head with his finger, earning a happy purr from the kwami. The teenager turned to his partner, and was startled for a moment by the utter adoration and pride that sparkled in her eyes, a small, bittersweet smile on her lips.
"I'm not letting you go at this alone either, M'lady," he whispered.
Ladybug squeezed his hand in reply, her eyes watery. The two teenagers gaze snapped apart at the sound of Master Fu clearing his throat.
"Have you revealed your identity to Chat Noir, Ladybug?"
Ladybug scoffed. "I tried, he won't let me."
Master Fu raised his eyebrows in surprise at the blonde, who shrugged in response.
"I can't risk it. If I know who she is and my father somehow gets control over me… I'd never forgive myself if I hurt her."
Master Fu smiled gently. "You doubt yourself too much, Adrien. You would never do anything to hurt her; you're made for each other," he held back a chuckle as he watched both teenagers' cheeks flush red as they stared at him, wide-eyed. "However, if it gives you some reassurance in these difficult times, then I agree it may be the best decision, for now."
Adrien smiled softly. "Thank you, Master Fu."
"Although, you definitely need to reveal yourself eventually, Ladybug. I've already picked out a wedding gift for the two of you," Master replied, taking a smug sip of his tea as the pair squirmed with embarrassment once more. Plagg shared a small smile with the guardian, grateful for his distraction, even if it was only for a few minutes.
"So how are we approaching this?" Ladybug said, shaking off her embarrassment. "Has anything like this happened in the past?"
"Miraculous holders have known each other in their civilian lives, some were even related, but none have fought against each other before," Master Fu replied. "We need to approach this delicately. Get as much information as we can and maybe we can retrieve the Miraculous without any conflict. Adrien, I know this is difficult, but please can tell us everything you know?"
Adrien frowned. "Honestly, not much. I overheard a conversation between him and his assistant that confirmed his identity, but not much else."
Master Fu nodded. "It's a start. Plagg can search the house for clues when it's safe and I can send another kwami to aid him."
"I'll try my best to figure some things out as well," Adrien replied, earning a shocked look from his partner.
"Wait, you're staying in that house?" she asked, her eyes wide in outrage.
"I have to, it'll raise more suspicion if I just disappear and I can get more information from the inside," Adrien replied, running a hand through his blonde locks.
"There is always a room for you here, should you need it, Adrien," Master Fu said, sipping his green tea.
"I don't like it," Ladybug replied, folding her arms defiantly, one hip cocked to the side. "How am I going to know you're safe?"
"We'll find a way to communicate that doesn't reveal your identity," he grabbed her hands in his own. "M'lady, I'll be okay. I promise."
"If this situation was reversed…" Ladybug began in argument. Her partner cut across her, however.
"I know, I would hate it. I would want to take you as far away as possible from him. I know you want to protect me but I have to do this, for Paris' sake and my own."
She stared at him for a few moments, her eyes searching his for any sign of falter. The look of stubborn determination he returned to her caused her to sigh in defeat. "Fine."
With her reluctant approval, Adrien placed a chaste kiss to her hand. "Thank you, bugaboo."
Master Fu smiled softly at the pair, a sad glaze in his eyes. He turned to the clock to see it was approaching six in the morning. Gazing back at the two teens he was reluctant to separate them, but the quickly approaching morning left him no choice.
"You two should return home before your absence is noticed."
Ladybug's stomach sank, her hand gripping Adrien's tightly as he called for Plagg to transform him. Not even the most beautiful sunset over the Eiffel Tower could rival the awe that she felt as she watched her gracious classmate transform into her cheeky, self-assured partner.
The pair said goodbye to Master Fu and Wayzz and walked into the quiet Parisian side-street the shop resided on. It was still dark, only the slightest glimpse of light was beginning to peak over the horizon, and the streets were silent. The two heroes said goodbye to one another, but not before Ladybug gave her partner a firm kiss on the cheek.
"Be safe," she whispered, her breath tickling his skin.
He blushed furiously, red spilling under his black mask, but he nodded firmly. She watched as he swung off, in what she knew was the direction of the Agreste mansion, before swinging towards her own home.
A couple of hours later, Marinette's alarm blared out from her bed's shelf. She'd set it the previous night as she'd promised her parents she'd help out in the bakery, as Sundays were usually quite busy, especially in autumn when people craved warm pastries and their homemade hot chocolate.
She hadn't slept since returning home. Tikki had watched on, wordlessly but worriedly, as she stared at the photo of Adrien she had beside her bed. A flurry of emotions rushed around her that she wasn't sure how to deal with. Her anguish for Adrien was currently battling her elation that he was her wonderful partner, and it was winning.
When she arrived downstairs, her mother sent her a worried look, rushing over to cup her cheeks.
"Are you feeling okay, sweetie? You look really pale," Sabine said, examining her daughter's complexion.
Marinette could barely find the energy to reply. She felt so heavy that her body almost couldn't hold her up. Her mother sent her back to bed, having never seen her daughter look so downtrodden. She managed to pull herself back up to her loft bed, resuming her earlier foetal position, cuddling her cat pillow close to her chest. Her mind was spinning with worry, wondering if Adrien was still safe.
Her phone buzzed above her, and she reached up to grab it. The screen was lit up, allowing her to see the notification.
Adrien The Fantastic Four
Message
She quickly swiped across the screen the open the contents of the message.
Adrien: Anyone up for Mario Kart tournament this afternoon? I'll message when I'm out of my photoshoot and meet you guys online
She smiled softly. He was safe, at least for now. She was also pleased he was still interacting with the group, rather than shutting himself away.
She typed her reply before clasping her phone to her chest, her cat cushion wrapped around her protectively, as she finally allowed herself to fall asleep.