The room is pitch black. No light to guide her if she were to move. So instead she plants herself. Looking around for something to give away what's around her. A soft shifting to her left has her spinning her yo-yo to protects her Incase it's an attack. It sends bright flashing red lights around the room causing a figure to cast a shadow to the side of her. They yelp in surprise and in a moment she is lunging at them.

They fall heavily on the floor with a thud, Ladybug keeping them firmly on the floor. They groan loudly from where they had landed.

"Ugh."

Jumping back and off of them she whisper shouts, "Chat?!"

Their breath catches, "Ladybug?"

She lunges forward again, this time to hug the figure she can't see, "Oh my gosh, Chat! I'm so sorry I thought you were Hawkmoth!"

He shushes her, his hand fumbling for her face to cover her mouth, "Shhh!"

She sits back trying to force her eyes to learn how to see in the dark, it doesn't work. She waits quietly as he stays silent.

With a sigh of relief, "I don't know how you go here but if he finds out you're here, we're both in trouble."

His voice is quiet, almost inaudible, the fear lacing it is unmistakable, "Chat, what is going on?"

She can feel him shift slightly so he's sitting next to her, "It's… a long story. For later, we don't have time for that. How did you get in? My-Hawkmoth has the best security for this room, I haven't found a way out."

She notices his slip, but she keeps that tucked away, "I have a plan for that. We have to get out of here."

She pulls his ring from where she had stashed it and makes a grab for his hand, it takes a few tries but she finally finds his shoulder and finds it from there. She places the ring in his palm, "Here, you'll need this."

The surprise in his voice hurts her heart, "You brought this with you?"

She nods her head only to remember they can't see, "Yes."

He pauses for a moment before, "That means you know-"

She covers his mouth quickly, luckily not missing but from the grunt she must have hit him pretty hard, "Shhh. Later. For now put that on. We need to leave."

She stands, trying to remember where the middle of the room was from where she had jumped to but stops when a hand lands on her thigh.

"I-... I can't."

She looks back in his direction with shock, "What do you mean you can't?"

He pulls her down to his level again, finding her hand and giving the ring back, "I can't Bugaboo."

A deep sadness sets in, she thought he would want to be saved why wouldn't he… "Did he threaten you or something? Come on, you know we can take him. Please we have to-"

Her plees are cut off, "We can't. I can't. I won't. Just… leave without me. I'm sure you can defeat him without my help. You just need to give someone else the ring."

"Chat?"

She cringes at how small her voice sounds, she has no idea how he reacts but it takes him longer to reply.

"Please. Just leave while you still can."

Something inside her breaks. She had felt so lost without him by her side and now that she has a chance to get him back, he's turning her away.

She tries to keep the tears at bay, "I… I can't do this without you. There isn't another Chat, there can't be."

He rests a hand on hers, "You haven't tried-"

"I have!" Her words cut her deep but she keeps going, "I was forced to pick another Chat during one of the akuma attacks. People were trapped and none of us had the power to save them. I had to give someone else the ring and I hated it. I hated them. I didn't want them to be Chat, I made sure they knew it was only temporary and I knew that but even after it was over I hated having to give the ring to someone else. There is no one else."

The silence that stretches on after that has her saying the words she kept locked away these past two weeks, "I won't be Ladybug if you're not Chat Noir. I don't mean it as a threat, but a promise. I can't save Paris without you."

A moment passes before he's gripping her hand hard, a small choked noise leaving him, "Bugaboo-" he sniffs hard, "I… you don't understand. This is all my fault."

Confusion sweeps over her, "What do you mean?"

He shifts a little, his other hand grabbing onto her shoulder, "Hawkmoth… he's… everything he's ever done, it's-it's my fault. I should have known but I didn't, I just ran away and left him all alone I-"

She cuts him off, "Chat what are you talking about? How could this be your fault?"

His head makes contact with her shoulder, she notices he's crying when the tears soak her suit, "Hawkmoth is my father Bugaboo."

This isn't new knowledge to her, her hands wrap around the crying boy in a hug, her next words are quiet, "...I know Adrien…"

He lets out a sob, his body shaking and she can't help but reevaluate her plan. She had thought he would jump at the chance to stop Hawkmoth even if he knew it was his father but she was wrong.

"I left him alone. To go play hero while he was suffering. Everything he's ever done has been my fault. He's like this because of me."

Something in his words makes a few alarm bells go off in her head, "It's not your fault. You didn't try to hurt him."

"But I did!" His shout startles her, he's never yelled at her like that before, "It's my fault! Can't you see?!"

She isn't lost on the irony. He's pulled away from her and if they weren't touching knees she wouldn't know he was there. A sudden noise that isn't them startles her. Looking around frantically she sees a hole opening in the floor.

Adrien panics, he grabs her arm and pushes her into a corner where she sees a bed sitting. He pushes her down behind it and hurriedly sitting on top of the bed in a fetal position. She stays where he had shoved her, quiet as she waits.

The room lights up suddenly and it has her blinking her eyes hard.

"Adrien? Why are you yelling?"

Her skin bristles at his voice, she's never liked Mr. Agrest much but now it was just pure hatred.

Adrien moves on the bed, she can't see anything from where she is hidden.

"I-I had a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you."

The man sighs heavily, silence is loud, but the clickin of shoes makes it louder, "I apologize. I didn't realize you still had them and that was an awful oversight on my part."

The bed shifts and she assumes he's sitting on the bed.

"What was the nightmare about?"

Adrien is silent for a moment before speaking, "It doesn't matter, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

More alarm bells go off in her head but she doesn't move.

"Adrien, you know you can talk to me."

Another moment passes in silence.

"Is it because of the room?"

She's frustrated that she can't see what's happening as their quiet once more. It wasn't normal for Adrien to be so quiet, especially now that she knows he's Chat.

"You know I only keep you here to keep you safe."

More silence passes before the man speaks again.

"I'll get you a nightlight, it will help. I know your used to having a large window in your room so it should have the same effect."

Adrien makes a small agreeing noise and the bed shifts once more.

"I'll bring it in tomorrow. For now rest."

The room goes silent once more as the man disappears from the room. Ladybug doesn't move until Adrien is helping her up from the floor. This time the lights are on and she gets a full view of what he looks like. The bags under his eyes and the very obvious tears hurt her heart.

"I'm sorry."

She reals back at his words, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

His face turns guilty and it makes him look older than he actually is, "Look I-"

She holds up a hand, silencing him. She couldn't take another apology from him, "Don't."

The sadness that makes his shoulders sag makes her want to cry, "Chat."

At the name he looks back up at her, surprised.

"Do you want the ring back or not."

His head starts to shake and she speaks again, "Do. You. Want. It. Back."

He pauses, looking away before nodding his head.

She nods her own, "Thank you."

The surprise on his face confuses her but she speaks anyway, "For being honest."

Understanding replaces the confusion and she keeps talking now that she knows he is listening.

"Chat Noir. I will keep the ring of destruction protected for you as long as it's not in your hands. I, Ladybug, promise that nothing bad will happen to Plagg as long as I'm around to say something about it. I trust you to contact me if you are ready to receive it once more."

He stands straight, the serious look on his face reminding her that this was indeed still her kitty, "Thank you."

She nods her head to him, a momentary sadness takes over her and she can't help herself as she lunges forward and hugs him, "I won't leave you here for long Kitty."

He hugs her back just as tight. They stand there for a moment before they both pull away reluctantly.

"You should go."

She nods at his words, moving silently back to the entrance. It takes her a moment but she figures out how to get it to lower. Sneaking out is as easy as following her path in, but it hurts her more than entering did.

She doesn't get much sleep for the rest of the night.