(This little short story takes place during S4, but before the events of the final two episodes! I'm considering writing a short story for after those events but if you've not seen S4, please be aware this short story may contain slight spoilers!)

--

I never took him seriously. He was always cracking jokes, making puns, and would always flirt with me as if his life depended on it. Of course I always wondered who he was underneath that mask but I swore up and down that until we were able to take down Shadow Moth that we needed to keep our identities secret. But now that I can't find him? I wish I knew someone who knew who he was.

At first I thought he was upset with me. He's been growing colder with me lately and I've been ignoring his behavior for way too long. Sometimes the plans that involve my Lucky Charm unfortunately don't involve him. It's not that I don't want him to be part of saving Paris with me, but my Lucky Charm has never let me down. I seem to have let him down though. Or so I thought.

It was a day like any other. I finished collecting the Miraculous from Kagami and am making my way back to my place when I get the disturbing distress call. All I hear is a distorted, garble of a voice that is clearly in distress and then… silence. I try playing it off, calling him back thinking it was just poor reception or some other silly thing but the calls never connect. I can't even reach his voicemail. It's at this point the panic starts setting in. How do you find someone you know nothing about?

An hour goes by and I hear nothing. I sit in my room, curled up with Tikki by my side. She tells me she hasn't heard from Plagg either so he and his owner both must be in distress. Crying doesn't solve anything. I know it doesn't. But it's all I can do. Should I call Alya? Should I get the other miraculous holders involved? I don't want anyone getting hurt but what else do I do? I finally muster up the strength to call Alya. She already knows my secret. Maybe she'll be able to help me find Chat. I punch in her number and bring the phone up to my face.

"Marinette? Something must be up for you to call me at an hour like this."

"I… I can't find him. Chat… he's…"

"Girl, take a deep breath. I'm on my way. We'll find him together."

click

I toss my phone down to the end of my bed and hug my pillow close. Why did it take me so long to call for help? What if during all this time something terrible has happened to Chat? I would never be able to forgive myself. What kind of guardian would I be if I'm not even capable of guarding another miraculous holder?

It's not long after that Rena Furtive shows up on the rooftop. I open the balcony door for her and she comes in, becoming Alya right before my eyes.

"I came as fast as I could. Tell me everything. If we can make a timeline, we have a much better chance for finding him."

I begin explaining everything to her, from the moment I began giving the miraculous to their users more often up until the phone call I received.

"I just… I don't understand, Alya. Chat Noir knows and understands that I'm the guardian now and I can use the miraculous as I see fit. Wouldn't he understand that all of this is to help us defeat Shadow Moth? He's clearly been so busy these past few months and I thought giving him a chance to not be saving Paris 24/7 would be helpful for him. I mean I -"

"What do you think YOU'RE doing 24/7?"

I stop, my eyes connecting to Alya's.

"I… well I'm the guardian, and -"

Alya smiles, reaching out to grasp my hands.

"Yes, and you're wearing yourself thin as well. I truly believe Chat Noir WANTS to be by your side, fighting against Shadow Moth 24/7. I don't think he'd be upset about other miraculous wielders. Once we find him, we can determine that for sure. Now miss guardian, let's think about where Chat likes to hang around." She pauses to give me another reassuring glance. "We'll find him, I promise, Marinette."

--

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien sighs, sitting up on a hidden rooftop. He pulls out a piece of camembert, tossing it to his kwami. "Does Ladybug just not want to be partners anymore? I'm confused…"

"Oh Adrien, that's impossible. It's a tale as old as time. There's never been a Ladybug who hasn't had a Chat Noir! You're not being replaced. Sometimes the power of destruction is not always necessary for a mission. But when it is… I get to have my sweet, stinky camembert!", Plagg practically coos as he swallows up his smelly snack in one bite.

The two talk for a little longer before Adrien calls for his powers once more. He is almost back to his place when he hears a scream coming from the area near the Eiffel Tower.

"Well, this whole situation will have to wait until I go check out the commotion." He jumps up high to get a better look. "…I'll call Ladybug if there's a problem… unless of course I am the problem…" He mutters to himself as he sets off in the night.

Chat Noir arrives at the Eiffel Tower. He scales to the top of the tower and takes a look around, trying to find the source of the screaming. It's not long after that he discovers the source - a group of tourists being attacked by what appears to be an akumatized person. Whoever this person was, it looks like Shadow Moth gave them the ability to manipulate electricity.

"I know I need Ladybug to finish them off but I'll show her how successful I can be!" He says as he jumps into action. He lands on the ground in front of the person. "You know, it's pretty shocking to see another akuma so soon. I hope this battle is just as electrifying as the last one!" He snickers, teasing the akumatized person before getting chased by them.

Chat Noir runs as fast as he can, looking back to see how far ahead he is before using his baton to leap onto the rooftops. He hides, watching as the akumatized person searches frantically for him.

"Haha, what did I say? I can take care of things without needing Ladybug! As soon as this person passes by, I'll cataclysm it to slow it down. Maybe I'll even try catching that little butterfly by myself too. If she can do it, so can I!" He says to himself, waiting for the perfect moment before attacking.

That's when he sees a group of people in its path. Chat Noir swoops down to get them out of harm's way. He jumps back up, aiming his hand at its back, where the obvious akuma is hiding.

"Cataclysm!"

crack

The monster lets out a scream. This wasn't an akuma. It was a Sentimonster. How did he and Ladybug not realize this earlier when fighting? He grabbed his baton to call Ladybug. He knew he messed up and needed her help right away. As she picked up, the Sentimonster let out a curdling scream and sent out a massive shockwave, knocking his phone and all electrical signals around the tower out of commission. And suddenly, the Sentimonster seemed to just… disappear. It must've been around somewhere, as there was no sign of Shadow Moth recalling it.

"I hope Bugaboo got the memo. Looks like I need to recharge and try to find this Sentimonster." He says, retreating back to a secluded rooftop to give Plagg another piece of cheese.

"Adrien, I hate to admit this but that was pretty reckless. I admire your bravery but who knows where that Sentimonster went?" Plagg says as he chows down. Adrien sighs.

"I know, I know but… Plagg I'm tired of feeling so useless. Every time I show up to help out, it's either Ladybug and Purple Tigress, Ladybug and Ryuko, or even Ladybug and Viperion. Why does it feel like she just doesn't need me anymore?" He says, leaning up against the chimney of the building. "I just want to be useful again."

"Adrien. I'm not one to be all sappy like the other kwamis can be, so listen up. All of the miraculous users work together. Ever since the beginning of time we've been a team. Sure all the users are different people, but there has never not been a Ladybug without a Chat Noir. Without destruction, there can be no creation. She's not turning her back on you. Shadow Moth is getting smarter and smarter so we have to too. And sometimes that means we can't go and cataclysm everything to make it better. Sometimes we need to turn back time, or sometimes we need to create illusions. Regardless, you and Ladybug are a team. We're all a team. Believe in Ladybug and believe in yourself!" Plagg exclaims, holding the remainder of his cheese in his little paw high in the sky. Adrien smiles.

"That's exactly what I needed to hear. I shouldn't doubt Ladybug's judgement. There's a reason she's the guardian after all. Come on, Plagg. Let's go find Ladybug before this Sentimonster finds us. Plagg, claws out!"

--

"Anything yet, Rena?" I ask, anxiety creeping into my voice.

"No Ladybug, I haven't seen anything. The only strange thing to note is that there is little to no cell service as I get closer to the Eiffel Tower."

"No service at the Eiffel Tower? Well that's odd. The only way you wouldn't have service there is if everyone in Paris is trying to use their phones at the Eiffel Tower… I'm going to investigate. Maybe Chat is there too! And that's why he isn't getting my calls! Rena, you're the best!" I exclaim, taking off towards the Eiffel Tower.

It's a bit darker than usual as I get close to the tower. I take out my yo-yo and open it to double check. Rena was right - no service. I close it and take a look around. Other than the lack of service, everything seems to be alright.

"Chat? Chat Noir?" I call out, searching all around. He's still nowhere to be found. I sigh. "What of something actually happened to him? I'd be the worst Ladybug ever…" I mutter to myself.

I look out on Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower. It's not long after that I spot someone who appears to be in trouble. They're running away from something, but I can't tell what. I jump into action, swooping in to pull them out of trouble.

"Are you alright? What was chasing you just now?" I ask, placing him on the ground.

"I… I don't know. All I know is I felt as if I was being shocked! My hair was standing on end. So I started to run. Thanks, Ladybug! I gotta get back home." The man says before taking off into the night.

"Shocked? Hair standing on end? Sounds to me like there's more than just a cellular outage here. I just hope whatever it is hasn't shocked Chat Noir." I grab my yo-yo and take off back to where I helped the man.

crackle… crackle… BOOM

I turn my head, immediately faced with what looks like a huge lightning storm. I notice the cracks up and down the cloud-like body - a Sentimonster! But not just any Sentimonster. Chat Noir had been here. As much as I should be upset he caused this rampage, I'm happy to see he's at least been around.

"It's too dangerous to try to take this head on… lucky charm!" A cat plush drops into my hands. "You're right… I do need Chat Noir! I've always needed him!"

"You… you really mean that?" A pair of familiar green eyes appear next to me.

"Chat…! I'm… I…-"

"Shh, it's my fault. I shouldn't have doubted you. You're the guardian, I need to trust your decisions. We're a team - all of us. What's the plan, bugaboo?" I've never been happier to hear those words come from his mouth.

"Here's the plan, kitty." I say, smiling.

--

Even if we can't know each other's identities, I know that Chat will always be there for me. He's been there for me since day one and it's about time I'm there for him too. Guardian or not, I'm learning to be more sensitive to my teammates and their feelings. For everyone but Chat Noir, it's easier to keep this in mind as they are all my friends and I know and care for each of them deeply. Identities aside, Chat Noir's feelings are incredibly valuable to me and I will do everything in my power to show him he is appreciated.

Maybe one day when Shadow Moth is no longer our enemy I'll be able to know Chat Noir personally and I can only hope if that day comes we will have the strongest bonds. But until then, as long as I'm Ladybug, he will always be my Chat Noir.