AN: Happy New Year! Hope it's going great so far! Let's celebrate with a…new chapter. Yeah, don't want to give too much away for you! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: Broken Promises

Ladybug blinked as she tried to process her partner's idea. In the early years of their partnership, Cat Noir would often suggest learning each other's identities, but he had stopped pushing the idea as time had worn on. "Cat Noir?" Ladybug spoke when she could finally process even to form words.

"I mean," Cat Noir continued, "don't you think that our partnership would be stronger that way, M'lady? If we both know who we are beneath the mask, we can better protect each other."

Ladybug could understand her partner's desperation to reveal their identities. She could almost admit that she might want to learn who he really was, but Ladybug was still nervous about it. "I don't know, Cat Noir," she told him, looking away. "I'm still not sure if that's a good idea."

"Why not, though?" Cat Noir insisted. "You are the Guardian now, Ladybug. Shouldn't you know who all the Miraculous holders are, just in case?"

Ladybug thought about this. Master Fu had known both her and Cat Noir's identities. Then, he had trusted her judgement when Ladybug had distributed the various other Miraculous to her friends to fight alongside her and Cat Noir as allies. "Well, maybe, but..." She stopped. Cat Noir was right, but Ladybug was still nervous. "I just don't know, Cat Noir. I told you before about when I fought...you, when you were akumatized."

Though it had been a few years now since Ladybug had come face-to-face with Cat Blanc, the memories were still there. In that future, they had revealed their identities to each other and it had destroyed the world.

"You have, M'lady," Cat Noir admitted sadly, "but...I don't know. I feel like, if we were careful, we could prevent that somehow."

"It was our love that did this to the world," Ladybug whispered, remembering the words that Cat Blanc had told her that day. She had spoken quietly, but still loud enough that Cat Noir could hear.

Ladybug felt Cat Noir grab her gloved hands in his own. "So maybe we just aren't meant to be in a relationship together, then," he insisted, giving her hands a tight squeeze. "It hurts to think that, but maybe it's for the better anyway. That doesn't mean that we can't know each other's civilian identity, though."

Bringing her eyes up to meet her partner's, Ladybug could read so many emotions in Cat Noir's green eyes. There was the patience and acceptance that he had always shown. Underneath it all, Ladybug could see just a slight tint of the hurt that he had been feeling for months, which had kept him from coming to meet with her here at the Eiffel Tower. She had never wanted to hurt him. He was her partner and one of her best friends. If they would reveal their identities, that would remove the last big secret between them. Like Cat Noir had said, they would probably be stronger, more united, that way.

"Cat Noir," Ladybug began, even before she had fully processed her thoughts. "We, uh..." She looked away from his eyes, knowing what would happen if she didn't. "We shouldn't do that. I'm sorry, Cat Noir." She clenched her fists at her side. "There is a part of me that does want that, Cat Noir. I do want to know who you are, but...it's just too much of a risk with the possibility that there will be a new Hawk Moth and not knowing when he will show himself."

Even without looking, Ladybug heard Cat Noir shift beside her. This had not been the answer he had been hoping to hear, Ladybug knew, but she could not fix that. She cared so much for her partner and it was just safer for both of them this way, the way that it had always been.

"I understand, Ladybug," Cat Noir finally spoke. "I guess I had just hoped that things could be different now that my...now that this Hawk Moth has been defeated."

A silence fell between them again and Ladybug worried a little. Their friendship, the core to their successful partnership had felt so fragile yet, ever since that night that they had defeated Hawk Moth together. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. What she had been about to say would only have been fake promises, ones that she could not commit to keeping. Someday, Kitty, we'll learn each other's identities. Maybe we can do it after the new Hawk Moth is defeated. No, she would not make such promises again. That was the reason this was hurting Cat Noir so much right now. She had said before that they would reveal their identities after Hawk Moth—Gabriel Agreste, they both knew now—was defeated...and she had gone back on that promise.

Ladybug stood up silently. It was late and she needed to be getting back home. She had school tomorrow. Before saying goodbye to Cat Noir for the night, Ladybug turned her back on him, not wanting to see his reaction to what she was about to say. "Kitty...Cat Noir, I know your feelings for me," she began, trying to make her voice as gentle as she could, "but, it's better this way. We'll never truly know each other underneath these masks we wear. It'd just be better for both of us if you moved on and found another girl to love. I'm sorry, Cat Noir."

Without waiting to hear a response, Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo to swing off toward her home. Tears stung at her eyes and that was another reason why she did not stick around and wait for Cat Noir's reaction. She did not want him to see how much these words had torn her apart too.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had not transformed into Ladybug since that night.

So…I think we'll be checking in with the "present-day" timeline of this story (refer to the first chapter) again in the next chapter, but there will be more flashbacks to come! There is a lot that brought this story to the point it's at now!