Hi everyone! I originally had planned to post this on Father's Day. However, I got done with it early and decided to post it now instead! Enjoy!
Adrien and Marinette are both 27 in this.
Thank you to alwaysharper for being my beta!
While there were definitely patterns, Ladybug and Chat Noir never seemed to have a set schedule for their patrols. Sometimes both were seen running across rooftops, sometimes only one of them. Sometimes neither of them were seen, but members of their team would be. Hawk Moth had disappeared eight years before, but the dozen or so heroes still protected the city as they had been for the past thirteen years.
The change happened gradually, and most people didn't notice for weeks or even a month, but eventually the Ladyblog comment section started filling up, and soon it was all anyone could talk about.
Ladybug had stopped patrolling by herself.
She was still seen regularly, but someone was always with her, usually Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, or Carapace. She seemed to be more cautious when confronting criminals, and Chat Noir was more protective than usual. There was one time where Ladybug had been knocked back in an alleyway. It had taken Carapace, Viperion, and King Monkey to keep Chat from attacking the mugger who'd thrown her.
After The Incident, as it was soon dubbed, criminals mostly left Ladybug alone. If she arrived on scene, they either ignored her completely and fought who she was with or immediately ran. All the heroes seemed to find it hilarious, though Ladybug herself also seemed to find it annoying. It soon became a meme, and video compilations of such instances became the trending videos on YouTube.
Then, about two weeks after The Incident, Ladybug stopped appearing altogether. There were still hero sightings almost every day, but Ladybug was not among them. Chat's appearances also decreased, though he was still seen occasionally. This time, it only took a week for people to notice.
Once again, the Ladyblog exploded. Alya Lahiffe reported that the internet traffic crashed the website's server for several hours.
Where is Ladybug? Paris's Missing Hero.
The headlines appeared overnight. Within hours, people across the globe knew of the missing heroine. Was she sick? Was she injured? What if it was something even worse?
Two days after the server crash, a new video appeared on the Ladyblog posted by Alya herself. It was from Ladybug and Chat Noir.
~~~~~MLB~~~~~
The video wasn't very long, only a few minutes. In it, Ladybug and Chat Noir sit side by side behind a wooden desk. The desk had a front to it, so anything below the heroes' loser chest was hidden.
"People of Paris, France, and the world," Ladybug started, "we would like to apologize for any concern we might have caused with our decreased presence. That was never our intention."
"We figured you guys would notice," Chat added, "but we thought it would take everyone more than a few weeks. We underestimated how much you guys look for us. We're more than a little flattered. Really, you're all pawsome."
Ladybug gave her partner a look. "That was weak. Anyway, we just wanted to make this video to let everyone know that both of us are ok. Neither of us are sick or injured. We just have a lot going on in our civilian lives right now, so we don't have as much time for patrolling or crime-fighting. Hawk Moth is no longer a threat, but if another magical threat appears we will give our Miraculouses to other members of the team."
"You'll still see this handsome face around when I can find the time," Chat joked with a grin. "However, M'lady won't be around at all. She has more going on than I do right now. Also, we know that there's going to be people asking how long we'll be gone. Unfortunately, we don't know that yet. It's going to be for almost a year though. But don't worry, we'll be back before you know it! We love this city, and we'll never stop protecting it. Stay safe out there, Paris, and we'll see you really soon."
Both heroes waved at the camera as the video faded to black. Short and to the point. Exactly what the people of Paris had come to expect in announcements from the pair.
~~~~~MLB~~~~~
After the video was released, the internet was once again flooded with blog posts and speculation videos. While the video had calmed most people's fears, they still didn't know the reason for their most veteran heroes' absence.
It was January, so they couldn't be busy with final exams. And the heroes seemed to be too old to be in school anyway. Problems with work? Problems with family? Neither would explain why both heroes needed time off. The rest of the superhero team was questioned on the whereabouts of their leaders, but their answers were all the same: everything was fine, they'll be back, we just don't know when yet.
True to his word, Chat Noir still made appearances, though they became increasingly fewer and further between. He reassured anyone who asked that Ladybug was ok, just busy. Some people noticed that when Chat was around Rena or Carapace were not. That led to the speculation that at least one of the three was always with the spotted heroine.
After two months, the chat rooms started slowing down and the number of headlines started to decrease. Bets on Ladybug's return stopped coming in, and people stopped asking the heroes questions when they saw them.
Eventually, people got used to Ladybug and Chat Noir's decreased presence. News headlines went back to things like the spring fashion line from Marinette Agreste, the new graphic novel by Nathaniel and Marc Kurtzberg-Anciel, or the collaboration song between Kitty Section and Jagged Stone.
Then came That Day in early June.
It happened in the early afternoon. Chat Noir and Carapace were sitting together and eating lunch on top of the Arc de Triomphe, laughing at something one of them had said. Everything seemed to be as normal until Chat got a message on his baton. Immediately, his laughter stopped and he turned slightly pale.
Carapace touched his shoulder, which made Chat jump before handing his teammate the baton. Carapace's eyes widened in shock, and the two jumped off the arch, not even stopping to pick up their things. A few minutes later, Queen Bee came by and grabbed their lunches as well as the blanket they'd been sitting on. Then she too disappeared.
In fact, none of the heroes were seen for the rest of the day.
A photography and film student happened to be filming Chat and Carapace when everything happened. The video was shared, analyzed, and commented on thousands of times within the hour it first appeared on social media. The student became an internet celebrity within a week.
After That Day, things seemed to return to normal. Almost. Several weeks had passed, and both Ladybug and Chat Coir were nowhere to be seen. The remaining heroes assured the public that the two were doing well, just extremely busy.
Father's Day was when everything became clear.
Ladybug rarely posted to social media, so when she posted a photo to all her accounts it caught people's attention. But it was the subject and caption of the photo that held the real surprise.
The photo was of a Caucasian man with a baby on his chest. Though the man was only shown from the chin down, his Chat Noir themed T-shirt gave his identity away. The infant was wearing a Chat inspired hat and a red polka dotted onesie. She was clearly asleep, and her arm and hat covered her hair and most of her face from the camera's view. The pair were sitting by a window, and The Eiffel Tower could be seen against a clear sky.
Most people guessed what the picture was of before even reading the caption:
This little one is worn out and fell asleep on her papa. Happy Father's Day to and all dads out there! Not all heroes wear capes. #FathersDay #FirstFathersDay #NewDad
#LadyNoirBaby was trending within an hour.
I tried my hand at digital art and drew the Instagram post for this story. Check it out here: imgur [. c] om / Upttzv2
Also, I made myself an Instagram for any fanart I make. Find me at dogsarethebest312