AN: So, I'm hoping to get at least one more chapter of this story posted for Christmas. That should be manageable, since I've been—more or less—posting new chapters every other day. We shall see. I hope you enjoy this fifth chapter!
Chapter 5: The Return of Cat Noir
Christmas came and passed uneventfully. Adrien had not been expecting any different and, honestly, he had not wanted some elaborate celebration, not this year. So often Adrien associated the Christmas holiday with negative feelings. The holiday had not been the same since his mother had disappeared—fallen into her coma, Adrien now knew that truth.
New Year came, bringing with it a promise of new beginnings. Adrien knew that he would continue to heal emotionally and hoped that brighter days lay ahead for him in the future.
All too soon, the holiday break came to its end and school resumed. As promised, Adrien returned to school on the first day back from the long break. He still grieved his mother's death, but he had composed himself and was doing better with not randomly bursting into tears at the memory of Emilie Agreste. Adrien's friends had showered him with compassion and he was grateful for all of them. With their help, Adrien relaxed even more; his days slowly growing easier over time.
That wasn't the only thing that helped Adrien relax. Now that the butterfly and peacock Miraculous had been returned to the Miracle Box, under the safe and watchful eye of Ladybug, peace had returned again to Paris. Though Adrien had kept his Miraculous (he could not bear the thought of not having Plagg in his life anymore!), he had not needed to transform into Cat Noir since that fateful night. Maybe a part of him was scared to do so, worried that all the memories from that night would come flooding right back if he, again, took on the form of his superhero alter ego.
The reprieve from being Cat Noir was kind of nice, though. It was almost refreshing to be able to focus on just being Adrien Agreste for now. He knew this was all temporary, though. Ladybug and Cat Noir were still a team long in the future, when they were both adults. Bunnyx had told them that, when she had come from the future to help them beat Timetagger. She had also said that they were still working together to defeat Hawk Moth. This worried Adrien. The most recent Hawk Moth, his father, had been defeated and Ladybug now guarded that Miraculous. So how would the new Hawk Moth get it?
Adrien—well, actually Cat Noir—had not seen Ladybug since that night shortly before Christmas. He knew that he should someday meet her at the Eiffel Tower like he had promised. She was probably wondering about him and why he had been acting strangely. Really, though, Adrien just felt conflicted. He still loved Ladybug but she was the one responsible for ending his mother's life. Still, Adrien knew that he needed to speak with Ladybug soon. There could be no strains in their partnership, not if they would still need to fight by each other's side when the new Hawk Moth would start terrorizing Paris.
It was almost spring by the time Adrien, as Cat Noir, made it out to the Eiffel Tower in the cover of night, as he had once promised Ladybug that he would do. After all this time, it felt good to again don the black leather suit of Cat Noir. Adrien had forgotten how much he missed being Cat Noir. Now that he was Cat Noir once again, Adrien could almost forget how he had felt the last time that he had taken on this form.
Up ahead, the illuminated lights on the Eiffel Towel drew Cat Noir's attention. After hours, the Eiffel Towel belonged to him and Ladybug, a refuge where they could be alone and just bask in each other's presence. It had always been safe, but Cat Noir did not know how it would feel this time. In fact, he was not even fully sure that Ladybug would be there anyway. In his message, Cat Noir had never given any indication when he would show up there and it had been months.
Finally, Cat Noir arrived at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The monument was quiet now that it was closed to tourists for the night. Using his staff, Cat Noir rose himself up to the usual platform where he used to often meet with Ladybug. When his feet had safely touched down on solid ground, Cat Noir retracted his staff, returning it to its usual size, and securing it to the holder on his lower back.
Looking around he saw that the platform was empty. It was just as he had suspected. Ladybug wasn't going to come. Still, Cat Noir could not bring it in himself to leave just yet. The night was too nice, finally starting to get a little warmer after a long, cold winter, and he did not feel like going back home just yet anyway. So Cat Noir sat on the edge, looking out over the city, letting his feet dangle. A slightly cool breeze blew through his blond hair, tousling it to make it even a little more messy than usual, but Cat Noir made no move to adjust it. It would not matter how he looked if no one was going to see him anyway.
A familiar song came to his mind, one that he used to sing all the time years ago. It was just one line that he had created on a whim one day and that had stuck with him. The song was one of comfort that he used to sing quietly to himself when he was feeling alone. He had not thought of the song since that night, that fateful night when his world had come crashing down. Now, though, Cat Noir softly sang those words that he had never forgotten.
"Little kitty on a roof...all alone without his Lady..."
Somehow, as Cat Noir was singing softly to himself, he missed hearing the familiar sound of Ladybug's yo-yo, but his sensitive ears did not miss the sound of the footsteps that came up behind him. "Ladybug," he greeted his partner as she came to the edge of the platform and sat beside him. He was aware that his voice still sort of reflected an edge to it, a feeling of unease that he hoped tonight's conversation would dissipate.
"Hello, Kitty," Ladybug greeted him. "You're not alone anymore. I'm here now."
So, next chapter will be the conversation between Cat Noir and Ladybug. Will they be able to resolve the issues that threaten their friendship? We shall see in the next chapter!