Five Years Later

Paris

"She's not coming." Chat Noir said, head hung low in disappointment. He looked at the city of Paris sprawled out beneath him and sighed. He knew she would come here, at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, the moment she came back. It had been five years now and he hadn't missed a day of coming to the Eiffel Tower, in hopes that he would catch her vaulting across the city with her yoyo. He would come here every evening, hoping he would see her face again. She was his best friend. The only person he could freely pun with and be his own dorky self with, aside from Marinette.

But then again, she was gone too. She'd changed her number and even Alya didn't know what it was. He lost all contact with her.

He missed them and he would do anything to see both of them again.

His life had been uneventful so far. Even in jail, his father had a strong grip on Adrien's life. His company's reputation, Gabriel, had been tarnished due to him being discovered as Hawkmoth. His father had begged him to take business management as a major in university so he could get the ownership of Gabriel for himself and protect and run the business in his place.

He originally would have refused, but he knew how hard his father had worked to get his company to become so successful. It felt wrong to just abandon it now, so he reluctantly agreed.

He graduated from university and ran his father's business. It didn't take him a long time to realize that it was a tedious job that had many relations. Many of the models, photographers, and other fashion businesses had left their partnerships with Gabriel, and they refused to come back. He didn't blame them, but his father had insisted that he do everything at his disposal to try to make them come back.

As he stared at the Parisian sunset before him, he couldn't help but remember the time when Ladybug came to say her final goodbye.

::::::

I stood at the Eiffel Tower, twirling my baton carelessly in my hands. It fell with a loud clunk and as I bent down to pick it up, a red, gloved hand picked it up and handed it to me. The owner of the hand smiled at me, her hair windblown, and eyes bright blue.

"Hi Ladybug," I say as I take my baton. Her smile is a little sad as she sits down. She pats the space next to her, and I sit down with her.

"I can't believe this is the last time we'll see each other in a long time." She remarks.

"I know. It truly is a catastrophe." She giggles at the pun and flicks my bell., the twinkling sound ringing delightfully in my ears. It makes me glad to bring her happiness, even if it's just for a little while. "I have something fur you, my lady." I dig into my pocket and take out a small cat paw charm. "This is something you can remember me by. Something that will remind you of me, hopefully." She has tears in her eyes as she takes it from me.

"I have something for you too, Chat." She opens her fist, revealing a small ladybug charm. "It's such a coincidence, don't you think?" She laughs as she leaps at me for a hug, which I happily give. "I actually have something to tell you." She suddenly seems nervous as she pulls away.

"Yeah?"

"Well, Chat...I, um...well…" I wait patiently for her response.

"Go on…" I coax her, hoping she can gather the confidence to say whatever she wanted to.

"I-I'll really miss you." She blurts out and she looks upset. I get the feeling that that wasn't what she really wanted to say, but I nod.

"Me too, my lady." I hug her one last time, before she vaults away, seeing her disappear in a corner.

I missed her already.

::::::

The memory stung, as he remembered the feeling of loss the moment she left. She was one of his best friends, the one he could always count on. They could always tell the other how they were feeling or offer advice. They would giggle and laugh. He remembered the times she would bring snacks, like croissants, cookies, and macarons to patrol. He remembered the giddy feeling he used to have when he bit into them, feeling it melt into his mouth and the delight apparent on his face when she saw how much he liked them.

He remembered how much she hated liars. He could never forget the way she looked when she pouted, her lower lip jutting out almost adorably when she was upset with him. He would plead for her forgiveness, kneeling down in a begging position. She would look at him with her arms crossed over her chest, considering before she would jump into his arms with a hug.

Most of all, he remembered her blush. It was harder to see with the masks on, but when he teased her mercilessly, he would always see the rosy shade peak through and he swore it was the most beautiful color in the entire world.

The memories brought back his times with Marinette and the last time he saw her.

::::::

I stood in the waiting area of the airport with Alya, Nino, and Marinette's father.

"I can't believe she's leaving me. What will I do in the bakery now? She was such a help." Her father chuckled, but I could tell that he was actually upset. He'd lived with his daughter since the moment she was born and now she was leaving him. I kind of felt the same way too.

I still hadn't gathered the courage to tell her my feelings. Maybe I never would.

But then I saw her come forward to see us. She was wearing black leggings with a pink cardigan over a plain white shirt. A gray knit scarf was over her neck. Her hair was pulled up into a small messy bun. Her face held a soft, sweet smile.

She came over to her father first, pulling him into a hug. She was completely dwarfed by his frame, and he didn't seem like he ever wanted to let go. She reached up to whisper something in his ears and they pulled back. "I love you, papa. I'll be back soon." She grinned up at him as he nodded and tears filled his eyes.

She moved to Nino next. She threw her arms around his neck and murmured, "I'll miss you, Nino. Take care of Alya for me." She then pulled away and they did their special handshake.

"Trust me, Marinette. I will." He replied as she nodded, moving on to Alya, who wasted no time to crush Marinette into a bear hug.

"Come back soon, Marinette. Ugh, I'll miss you so much." She squeezed Marinette tighter.

"Um, Alya? You're kind of breaking...my bones." Alya let go in a rush, while I chuckled at their encounter. Marinette wheezed as she recovered. "I'll miss you so much, Alya. Take care of yourself." They hugged one last time before Marinette moved to me.

I stared at those large bluebell eyes of hers, getting lost by them. They held so many emotions at once and it finally dawned on me that this was the last time I would be seeing her before…

Before she would come back again.

Who knew how long that would be?

A month? A year? Two years? A decade? Never?

But I didn't let myself think about that for now. She was here, in my arms, at this moment and that was what really mattered. I pulled her closer to me, relishing the feeling of her body in my arms. I tried to memorize this moment, how she felt in my arms, so I could always try to remember how she felt. It was comforting in a way, but i still felt the tears come.

"I'll miss you so much, Marinette. You mean so much to me." I heard myself say as she squeezed me.

"Me too, Adrien." She pulled away, looking into my eyes again. "I'll be back before you know it, I promise." She started to walk away into the gates.

"Wait! Marinette." A distant voice yelled out before I realized that it was me.

"Adrien?" She turned around as I jogged over to her. I took off my sweatshirt, and held it out in front of her. "What's that for?"

"It's for you. I know it's kind of silly, but it's something you can use to remember me by." She took it and held it protectively with the arm that wasn't holding her suitcase.

"Thanks, Adrien. I'll cherish it forever." She giggled and then reached up to kiss my cheek. I stood there stunned until I came to my senses and began to wave.

"Bye guys. I'll miss you!" She yelled as a chorus of goodbyes came in response. It was then she disappeared into the gates

I couldn't help but wonder when she would come back.

::::::

Adrien looked into the sky, which was twinkling with stars in the dark.

He could only pray that they were both safe, wherever they were.

And that he would see them again. Soon.


China

"Put the money back." Ladybug stated firmly and held out her hand. The man in front of her wore a look of nonchalance as he continued to twist the cotton bag full of money between both of his hands mockingly. He didn't display an ounce of fear as he gazed upon her with a grin. "I said, put the money back where it belongs. I won't say it again." She walked closer to him, but he only continued to stare at her further.

"Hello, Piáochóng. How are you doing on this very fine night? It's so late; were you looking for trouble?" He laughed loudly and every single hair on her body seemed to stand up. An icy shiver went up against her spine as she struggled to maintain her composure. She'd dealt with many criminals like him in her time in China, but she'd never felt so scared or nervous dealing with one before.

She hoped her voice didn't tremble as she continued to threaten him. "You don't know what I'm capable of. If you value your own life, I would recommend that you give the money to me." The man's black eyes glittered suddenly and he crossed the distance between them easily with a few large steps. The man dwarfed her frame completely as he towered over her.

She gasped as he bent down to stoop at her level. They were nose to nose now, so close, that she could smell his wretched breath. She fought the urge not to gag as he stood so close to her. Suddenly, a gleaming silver knife was at her throat. "You don't know what I'm capable of, Piáochóng. I know all about the miraculous and their history. I'm also aware of how much your family and dearest partner, Chat Noir mean to you. You care about them so very much, I know. Isn't that right, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" He seethed, spitting the words in her face. Her breath left her in that moment and her knees buckled beneath her. Her body felt like lead as she fought to stay conscious. But at last, her body gave up as she remembered falling, falling, falling.

And then.

Darkness.


There's a cliffhanger for you guys.

Enjoy :)!

Ladybug in Chinese means Piáochóng. I hope that's right. If it's not, feel free to correct me.