Welcome back to another chapter!
This one features two scenes from the PV Trailer and while I have no idea what Bribug and Félinoir are telling each other, I hope that I had managed to capture the moments depicted in the trailer.
Also, you will notice that I had changed the title (Under The Moonlight), as the planned song was Moonlight Densetsu from the anime Sailor Moon. The reason for that was because the PV Trailer's song got stuck in my head and I wanted to focus on that very scene.
Enjoy and please, leave a comment! X3
Entry 11
The Desperate Confession
''Tell me now, pretty baby, you could never stop unaware. Too gone, for don't you get it now? Do you know that I'm feeling down?''
– Up Ladybug by Noam Kaniel (Miraculous Ladybug PV)
xXxXxXx
''Here you go, today's lunch is waffles,'' Bridgette said as she presented Tikki with a plate filled with a huge stack of waffles, strawberries and whipped cream. The kwami dropped her jaw at the sight of the food, flying around it and glancing at Bridgette curiously.
''Is this really all for me?'' Tikki asked. Bridgette nodded.
''Of course,'' Bridgette told her, then tilted her head. ''Is it too much?''
''No, no, it isn't!'' Tikki flew around the plate, replying in a thankful tone. ''I know that you told me that you would make me any kind of food I want, but still… I didn't expect it to be this much.''
''Basically, this is my way of telling you to eat to your heart's content,'' Bridgette replied as she sat down at the desk, smiling at the kwami. Tikki flew up to her, nuzzling her cheek and then flew back to the waffles, breaking a piece of it and giving it to Bridgette.
''If I'm already going to eat this, I want to share it with you,'' Tikki told her.
''That's nice of you,'' Bridgette replied, eating the piece, while Tikki broke another piece for herself and started munching on it. Bridgette observed at the kwami in silence, before daring to ask her a question. She knew that this was a sensitive topic for Tikki, but she hoped that the kwami would able to satiate her curiosity. ''Tikki, I wanted to ask you about your previous holder…''
Bridgette trailed off when she saw Tikki dropping the food, looking incredibly nervous. She knew she struck a nerve, but admittedly, she wanted to learn more about the kwami's past and find out what happened to the previous Ladybug.
''I-I… I can't…'' Tikki shook her head frightfully. Bridgette picked her up gently, holding her in her hands.
''I know that you don't like to talk about your previous holder, but you can trust me,'' Bridgette told her softly. ''All I want to know is where you came from. I want to learn more about you. I mean, I don't even know whether there are any other kwamis. I assume that Chat Noir has a kwami of his own – your counterpart, right?''
Tikki fell silent, with a troubled look forming on her expression. She flew up, turning her back to Bridgette, crossing her tiny arms as if hugging herself.
''The Kwami of Misfortune is Plagg and you're right, he is my counterpart. We're the only kwami's in existence,'' Tikki told Bridgette, her back still turned towards the teenager. ''As for my previous owner, or rather, my Mistress, I don't want to talk about her because she's not a part of my life anymore. Every time I find a new owner, it feels like I reset my life. I don't want to dwell in the past and I'd rather focus on the present.''
''Still, you have more experience than I do,'' Bridgette pointed out, causing Tikki to turn around. ''If anything, you could give me some advice on how to be a better Ladybug by telling me about the mistakes the previous Ladybugs made or their discoveries.''
''Trust me, Bridgette, so far, you're doing great as Ladybug,'' Tikki replied. ''As a matter of fact, you're doing much better than your predecessor and I'm a lot happier being with you.''
''Thanks, Tikki,'' Bridgette replied half-heartedly. Something told her that the conversation about the previous Ladybugs was over.
''Bridgette!'' Bridgette's head shoot up when she heard a familiar voice calling for her and someone knocking on the trapdoor. She exchanged panicked glances with Tikki. ''Bridgette! May I come in?''
''Allan?'' Bridgette's ahoge curved into a question mark, motioning for Tikki to hide and walking over to the trapdoor. The trapdoor opened and Allan's head popped up, grinning.
''Hey, Bri, I'm sorry for the intrusion; Your grandmother let me in,'' he explained, entering the room.
''It's great to see you, Allan. Do you want anything to drink?'' Bridgette asked her friend. Allan shook his head.
''I'm actually in a hurry, so I won't be staying for long,'' Allan told her, taking out a pair of pink and white concert tickets from his backpack and giving them to Bridgette, whose jaw dropped. ''You're lucky I had been walking past your house as I forgot to give you these.''
''Allan, thank you, but I-'' She was about to tell him about how she would pay him for those, but Allan shook his head.
''Don't worry, these are on me,'' Allan smiled, then added in a playful tone when Bridgette gave him a puzzled look, ''Don't tell me that you forgot about Cori.''
''No, no, no, I didn't!'' Bridgette quickly replied, waving her hands, then added in a sheepish tone, ''To be honest, I've been thinking about something else, so it took me a moment to register what you were talking about.'' She then smiled excitedly. ''Also, thank you so much for the tickets.''
''You should thank Cori for those. She and her band have returned from their tour and are going to have a concert tomorrow evening at Jardin des Tuileries and she gave me a few free tickets to give them to my friend group,'' Allan added, giving a thumbs up. ''We also have VIP access.''
''That's really cool!'' Bridgette beamed, but her smile faltered as she looked back at the tickets. She rose an eyebrow. ''Uh, Allan, why did you give me two tickets?''
''You see, Cori gave me a spare ticket and I had already asked Claude, Sophie and Allegra whether they wanted to invite anyone else. While Claude and Sophie had no one in mind, Allegra asked Carmilla, but the latter told her how she doesn't feel well and is staying at home, so I had figured that you might know someone who would want to go to the concert,'' Allan replied.
''I admit I do… However, I don't think you guys are going to be happy, especially Claude.'' Bridgette didn't trust the innocent shrug Allan gave her.
''Like I said, Cori was the one who gave me the tickets and even told me to invite as much people as possible,'' Allan replied, giving her an assuring smile. ''If you want to invite Félix, that's fine by me.''
''Allan, I have no idea how to thank you,'' Bridgette said, shaking her head in disbelief. However, she still felt reluctant about the whole offer. ''Still, is it really fine?''
''Admittedly, I had figured that I might as well help you with getting along with Félix,'' Allan said casually, adding in a more serious tone, ''While I do have my own opinion about that guy, I know that you have your own reasons for liking him and I hope that this will help you two with finding some kind of common interest. Frankly, I'm more worried about your reaction to the possibility of you getting rejected… again.''
''Thank you for your concern, but you don't have to worry about that,'' Bridgette replied. ''When it comes to Félix and I, it is something I need to deal with on my own. I'm grateful for the support everyone is giving me, even if they do think I could've chosen better, but ultimately I'm the one who has the final say.''
''True. I hope things go well for you,'' Allan said, walking over to the trapdoor, then turning back and quickly adding, ''Before I forget, have you heard from Allegra?''
''Yeah, I did,'' Bridgette replied excitedly. ''She called me this morning to tell me about her and Carmilla's encounter with Ladybug and Chat Noir.''
''I think it's really cool that they got to meet the two new superheroes personally, not to mention being saved by Ladybug from a potential assault,'' Allan told her. ''They were really lucky Ladybug and Chat Noir were out there patrolling.''
''That I agree with,'' Bridgette replied, placing the tickets on the table and walking over to Allan. ''I even told Allegra that I was happy for her to have the opportunity to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir, especially since they seem to be the kind of superheroes who'd rather stay away from all the attention they might get. It is kind of hard to find out anything about them.''
''Do you plan to do an investigation on them?'' Allan asked in an intrigued tone. Bridgette waved her hands defensively.
''No, no, I had actually promised Ladybug not to inquire anything about her civilian life, and the same obviously goes for Chat Noir,'' she replied.
''I see,'' Allan replied, glancing at the watch on his wrist. ''Unfortunately, I have to go now.''
Allan opened the trapdoor, with Bridgette following him to the entrance.
''So, how's Corinne?'' she asked him, leaning against the wall as he took off the slippers and put on his sneakers.
''She's fine,'' Allan replied. ''I've been talking to her the past few days and she was really excited about returning home.''
''She isn't the only one who is excited about it,'' Bridgette pointed out, with Allan grinning as he got up and opened the door. ''Bye!''
''See you at the concert!'' Allan responded as he walked down the stairs and towards the tea shop. Bridgette closed the door behind him and sighed, with Tikki flying up to her, having followed the two.
''Looks like you're going to have a lot of fun with our friends,'' she said, then gave Bridgette a mildly confused look. ''Um, who is Cori?''
''Corinne Durand is Allan's older sister and the founder of the rock band Fléchette Stars, as well as lead guitarist and vocalist, and has been touring for about a year around the region,'' Bridgette explained. ''Allan had told us that she was supposed to return in a few weeks. I guess that their schedule had changed for some reason.''
''I assume that Allan missed his sister during her tour,'' Tikki said, giving Bridgette a knowing look.
''Yeah, he did…'' Bridgette trailed off as she realized something. ''No way! Don't tell me that the Good Luck Charm had something to do with this.''
''I cannot say for sure, but think about the situation like this – you both got something you wanted, that being Allan getting to see his older sister again, your friends getting free concert tickets and you getting an opportunity to talk to Félix,'' Tikki explained. ''The luck you spread doesn't only affect other people, but will also affect you in a roundabout way.''
''This is so exciting,'' Bridgette grinned, fist-pumping with both of her hands, her ahoge forming into a heart shape. ''I hope that I will have the same luck while asking Félix out. It's now or never.''
Tikki observed her holder as she cheerfully darted back into her room to get the tickets, having decided that now would be a good time to try and find Félix. What Bridgette didn't know was that the Ladybug Earrings were glowing, albeit much stronger than usual. While this was supposed to be a good sign, Tikki couldn't help but worry a little.
I just hope that she won't be using the Ladybug Earrings to fulfill her own selfish desires.
xXx
Félix took a sip of water as he placed his book down, flipping it over to the next page. So far, he had been really enjoying his quiet lunch, not having to worry about Gabriel's constant snide remarks and negative comments about every single thing he did, always sounding as if he was offended that Félix was for once happy and content.
Unfortunately for him, while his uncle wasn't here, his uncle's assistant kept a watchful eye over him, even now while he was having lunch. He ignored her for the most part, trying not to show that he was bothered by her presence, but Adeline had that uncanny ability to make anyone feel as if they were being judged.
No wonder uncle Gabriel had hired her. She could easily replace him if she wanted.
Félix decided to focus on his book again, but got distracted by Adeline clearing her throat. He rose an eyebrow and looked up, the woman gazing at him with such an intense look that made him wonder what he did do now.
''I apologize for disrupting your lunch, Félix,'' she said, completely unapologetic, ''but I need to inform you that you have a meeting today.''
''What are you talking about? As far as I know, my schedule had been cleared for today,'' Félix replied, glaring at her. He didn't have a good feeling about this.
''Actually, your uncle had arranged this meeting,'' Adeline informed him, looking down at her tablet with the schedule. ''You'll be doing a photo shoot, as well as a business meeting involving your possible modeling career…''
''Cancel it,'' Félix replied sharply, getting up and closing his book. ''I did not agree with any of this and I won't let Uncle arrange photo shoots behind my back.''
''Your uncle will be disappointed by this response,'' Adeline told him coldly, observing Félix walking past her.
''I don't care. This is between me and him. If he wants to talk about how much of a disappointment I am because I'm not following in his footsteps, he should do it in person,'' Félix retorted in an angry tone, exiting the dining room and walking straight into his room, adding ''I'll be going out. Don't expect me back until late evening.''
He then entered his room, finding Plagg standing on a ball of yarn and balancing a piece of cheese on his nose.
''Hey, Kid, look at this!'' Plagg happily called out when he heard Félix entering the room. He then threw the piece of cheese up and swallowed it, then glanced at his holder, noticing the furious look on Félix's expression. It was clear that the teenager was in a bad mood. ''Eh, Kid? What happened?''
''Uncle Gabriel had arranged a photo shoot and a business meeting without my knowledge,'' Félix replied, stuffing the book he was reading into his briefcase backpack and grabbing the metallic box he used for keeping Plagg's cheese. ''We're going outside.''
''Nice! There's nothing better than getting some fresh air after a good meal,'' Plagg said, grinning as he flew after Félix and sat on his shoulder. ''Also, if you want to complain about your uncle, I will lend you an ear.''
''Thank you, but for now, I need to get out of this place,'' Félix replied, with Plagg noticing the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. Satisfied, he hid inside the backpack until it was safe for him to come out.
Félix quickly left the mansion, happy that he didn't run into Adeline again and aware that she would inform Gabriel about what had happened. He didn't care. He wouldn't let Gabriel control him, especially since they already made a deal that Gabriel wouldn't interfere with Félix's life as long as he keeps up with his perfect grades and perfect behavior. However, he was aware that the old man wouldn't waste a moment to make him miserable.
As if things couldn't get worse…
xXx
Admittedly, being outside wasn't a bad thing. Félix preferred to read his book in the comfort of his room and private library, but considering how Gabriel managed to chase him out of the house while not even being at home, he knew that he had to find a different spot to immerse himself into the adventure he desired. He was once again re-reading his favorite series, The Firefly book series, as he heard that a new book would be coming out and he wanted to prepare himself for the release. There had also been some unanswered plot threads, which he hoped that he would be answered in the next book.
Taking another deep breath, he began looking around for a good spot to sit down and continue reading. However, all he saw was a busy street, with people walking and cars passing. It wasn't what he had in mind and the benches he did see were too close to the main street.
While Félix was busy with finding a quiet place to unwind and have some peace, Bridgette was walking through the city, clutching a letter in one hand and her purse in the other. The tickets were inside the letter, while Tikki was hiding in the purse.
If there is a possibility, I want to meet Félix and invite him to the concert. Please, let me meet him.
She pressed the letter against her chest, against her beating heart and closed her eyes as she stood at the intersection, waiting for the lights to change. Unknown to Bridgette, her earrings gleamed and once the lights turned to green, she ran across the street, looking around in hopes to have a chance encounter with Félix.
''Huh? Someone dropped their money…'' Being too busy looking around for the familiar blonde teenager, Bridgette didn't even register the person in front of her, a girl who bent over to pick up a 2 Euro coin she found on the ground. ''Lucky me- agh!''
Not watching where she was going, Bridgette crashed into the girl, with both falling over, the letter and purse falling out of Bridgette's hands.
''I'm sorry, I was looking for someone,'' Bridgette apologized to the girl, who just shook her head, picking up the coin.
''It's fine,'' she replied, pointing at the letter and the purse. ''Is this yours?''
''Yeah,'' Bridgette replied breathlessly, quickly grabbing the letter and her purse, and checking both. The tickets were undamaged, but Tikki was slightly shaken, giving her a questioning look. Bridgette mouthed a quick apology for the chaos and looked around. The girl had already gotten up and walked away, leaving the dazed Bridgette, who had been trying to figure out where she was supposed to go next.
She then turned around, looking back at the intersection, and her eyes widened when she saw Félix walking past her on the other side of the street. Excited, her ahoge curled into a heart shape and she ran back down the street where she came from, realizing that, if she hadn't crashed into the girl, she probably would've missed him.
Félix, on the other hand, had finally managed to get off the main street and enter a quieter one which led to what appeared to be a small park, with grass patches between the path and apple trees growing at the entrance. He took a look around, noting that this was the kind of place he had been searching for. Sure, there were a few other people walking, including a couple walking their dog, but so far, it was much more peaceful than the other parts of the city he had been at.
That is, until he heard a painfully familiar voice.
''Félix!''
Félix didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Bridgette he heard running after him. Narrowing his eyes, he sighed and placed his hand with the ring on the tree next to him, with the ring glowing and emitting dark waves and orbs of black light that spread across the entire tree. He then heard a rough 'thump' sound and a cry of surprise, aware that an apple had hit the lovestruck Bridgette on the head.
Despite his actions, he did feel a tinge of regret, since he didn't really want to hurt her. He just wanted to make her leave him alone, as he was in no mood to talk with her and using his Bad Luck Curse on her was the only way to do that. While he was cursed with perpetual bad luck, if he used it for selfish gain, he would have some good luck for a change. He quickly left, hoping that she wouldn't follow him.
Meanwhile, Bridgette was once again sitting on the ground, feeling dazed as she rubbed the sore spot where she felt the apple hitting her.
''Ow… That hurt…'' she muttered to herself and squinted at the letter, her purse and red apple lying on the ground. Suddenly, she felt a breeze picking up, blowing the letter with the tickets away. Her eyes widening in panic, she grabbed her purse and got up.
''No, wait!'' she exclaimed, running after the letter, which was practically dancing in the wind. ''Get back!'' She jumped up as the letter flew up, trying to grab it, but it was just out of her reach. ''Com'n!'' The breeze then dropped, ending the chase and Bridgette almost stumbled over the bench in front of her as she grabbed the letter out of the air. ''Yes!''
Despite the bruises she had sustained, she was chipper as usual, turning around. Her ahoge drooped when she realized that she lost Félix out of his sight. ''Now what?''
''Maybe you guys aren't meant to meet today?'' Tikki said, popping her head out of the purse. Bridgette tightened the grip around the letter and the strap of her purse.
''No, I don't think so…'' she said in a serious tone, glancing down at Tikki. ''I mean, if that were the case, I wouldn't have seen him at all, right?''
''If you say so,'' Tikki muttered, unsure what kind of advice should she offer to Bridgette. Should she discourage her from pursuing Félix or tell her to go ahead? She had no idea. ''Just be careful.''
''I will,'' Bridgette responded and walked back to the path, having a general idea where Félix went. She hoped that she would be able to find him, her sole desire being the chance to talk to him personally.
Please, let me have this chance…
xXx
While Bridgette was on the search for him, Félix had managed to find a quiet, gated park between several apartment complexes. There were a few people at this park, but it didn't appear that any of them would bother him. He sat down on the empty bench, basking in the warm sunlight and took out his book and opened it, holding it in one hand and propping his arm with the elbow of his other arm. He crossed his legs and leaned slightly back, taking a deep breath of relief and continued reading the book.
Unfortunately for him, while Félix was losing himself in the book's story, Bridgette had managed to catch up to him. She was standing behind a nearby tree, hidden in its shade. She placed her purse down on the ground and took the tickets out of the letter, shoving the letter into the purse.
''Let's hope that things will work out for you,'' Tikki whispered to Bridgette, who nodded in response.
She leaned against the tree, holding up the tickets between her hands at chest-level and glanced at Félix, feeling her heartbeat rapidly increasing. She smiled nervously, her cheeks flushed and her ahoge taking a heart shape once again. She knew that this was it. This was her chance to ask Félix out on a date.
She averted her gaze and looked up, her eyes narrowing as a look of determination formed on her expression, her cheeks still rosy.
You can do it Bridgette! Go for it!
Feeling confident, Bridgette walked out of her hiding spot and went towards Félix. Unfortunately for her, Félix had noticed her movement in the corner of his eye and quickly closed the book he was reading, stuffing it back into his briefcase backpack and getting up, trying to leave before Bridgette could reach him. Fortunately for Bridgette, she was faster.
''Félix, wait!'' she called out, stepping in front of him. Félix clutched the strap of his backpack tightly, staring coldly at her.
''What do you want from me?'' he asked, realizing that there was no way for him to get rid off her unless he confronted her. Bridgette smiled, ignoring his icy gaze.
''I wanted to ask you whether you'd go with me to the Fléchette Stars concert tomorrow evening,'' Bridgette told him, holding up the tickets hopefully.
Félix stared at her for a moment, before quickly turning his head away and closing his eyes, his answer clear. ''No.''
''Oh…'' Bridgette was stunned for a moment, the ahoge on her head frazzled before drooping as she looked down at the ground in disappointment. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, unsure whether they were due to her disappointment, embarrassment, frustration, or a mix of all three. She was so sure that Félix would accept her invitation, but then she realized that she was living in a dream. I'm such an idiot…
While Bridgette was staring at the ground in silence, Félix dared to cast a gaze at her, being curious about her lack of response. He believed that she would do everything she could to persuade him to go with her to the concert, but she didn't. Instead, she lowered her hands and took a step back to give him some space, looking absolutely miserable. Félix couldn't help but feel guilty for not accepting her invitation, despite knowing that he didn't owe her anything.
He then sighed, leaving. He knew that he couldn't stay anymore there, not because Bridgette interrupted him, but because he felt that he would either say or do something stupid just to cheer her up, and then suffer the consequences.
Bridgette, on the other hand, returned back to her hiding spot, where she left her purse and Tikki. The kwami gave her a sympathetic look.
''I'm sorry, Bri,'' she said. Bridgette shook her head, wiping away her tears.
''No, I was…'' She bit her lip. ''I was an idiot for thinking he would accept the invitation. I grew too overconfident and pushed my luck, and now I'm dealing with the consequences.'' She crouched down, placing her hands on her knees. ''Allan was right… Everyone was right… I haven't thought this through at all…''
''Bridgette, I know that you aren't someone who'd give up so easily,'' Tikki told her in a comforting tone. ''I'm sure that next time, you'll be fine.''
Bridgette fell silent for a moment, eventually groaning, ''I think I need a break.''
''Huh?'' Tikki stared at her in surprise. Bridgette lifted her head, looking at the kwami.
''I meant that I need a break from my crush on Félix,'' she said. ''I'm not saying I'm giving up or anything, but I guess I should focus on something else, for now.''
''Perhaps that is for the best,'' Tikki said, flying out of the purse and nuzzling Bridgette. ''You could hang out with your friends instead.''
''Or focus more on my duties as Ladybug,'' Bridgette added. ''While Chat Noir and I did beat Belladonna, she's still out there, along with the Mime and Monsieur Pigeon, so I need to stay alert.'' She got up, trying to psych herself up, fist-pumping. ''Right, let's do that. Today, I'll only focus on my Ladybug duties.''
xXx
Chat Noir grinned, a fang popping out of the corner of his mouth as he climbed down the steel beams of the Eiffel Tower, pausing for a moment to take a look at Ladybug, who was sitting on a beam while observing the streets below her, hands placed behind her and swinging her legs, being in a good mood.
He knew that this was his opportunity to convince Ladybug to finally grant him the kiss that would free him from his curse. He had managed to gain her trust and it was clear that she was comfortable in his presence, thanks to their previous interactions. He needed to use this to his advantage, having planned to confess his love to her and hope that he would convince her to kiss him. It was an incredibly bold move on his part, but he was encouraged by the fact that Ladybug accepted him as her partner.
It's all or nothing now.
Chat Noir climbed down, landing on the steel beam Ladybug was sitting on, and hiding the rose behind his back, being quite confident in his acting skills and that tonight he would be freed from his curse.
Ladybug got up, being genuinely happy to see Chat Noir, having agreed with him the previous night after their battle with Belladonna that they would use the Eiffel Tower as their meeting spot, since it was a quite prominent landmark. All she wanted for tonight was to go on a patrol and, if there weren't any attacks, relax a little without having to deal with her own feelings towards Félix. Despite being in a good mood, she was still a crushed by the rejection, even though she knew that she should've seen it coming.
''Good evening, Chat,'' Ladybug greeted him, only to rise an eyebrow when she noticed the eager look on Chat Noir's expression.
''Good evening to you too, Ladybug,'' Chat Noir responded, keeping one hand on his back. He smiled seductively as he stepped in front of her. ''I'm apologize for getting this close to you, but I couldn't help noticing the constellations in your eyes. I'm absolutely lost in them.''
Ladybug's eyes widened, being caught off guard by Chat Noir suddenly flirting with her. Admittedly, she did feel flattered by his comment, but this was not what she had in mind for tonight. She did not want to deal with romantic feelings of any kind.
Unfortunately for her, Chat Noir didn't falter when she crossed his arms, showing that she wasn't in mood for his attempts at flirting. Instead, he got on one knee, presenting her the rose he was holding with flourish, placing his other hand on his chest.
''Please, Ladybug, accept this rose as a token of my eternal love for you!'' he added, completely mesmerized.
Ladybug stared at him for a moment, looking completely unimpressed, before looking away, her answer clear. ''No.''
Chat Noir lowered his head in shock, his tail swishing, and then quickly got up, giving her a look of despair.
''Ladybug, I love you, I really do!'' he said earnestly, his ears flattening against his head as he clenched his fists in a pitiful attempt to convince Ladybug to accept his confession, appearing to be hurt and confused by her lack of response.
However, Ladybug kept looking back, her eye-lids lowered, with the same uninterested gaze on her expression. Frankly, she was quite exasperated by Chat Noir's attempts at flirting with her.
''Ladybug, please reconsider!'' Chat Noir added, slowly losing hope, only to be taken aback by Ladybug's glare.
''Chat Noir, I'm not in the mood to deal with your antics tonight,'' she told him in a serious tone.
''But, I wasn't-'' Chat Noir said, only to be cut off by Ladybug.
''Only because I told you that you can be my partner doesn't mean that you also have the permission to flirt with me,'' she replied in a stern tone, reaching for her compact. ''If you want to go with me on a patrol, that's fine, but stop pursuing me. I already had a really bad day and the last thing I need is you messing with my feelings.''
She turned her compact into a yo-yo and used it to swing down from the Eiffel Tower and onto another building. Chat Noir was left standing on the ledge, completely disheartened. He lowered his arms, still clutching the rose in his hand, shaking. He lowered his head, his green eyes obstructed by his long hair.
''Plagg…'' he started, his tone heavy, ''What happened to the previous Chat Noir? Did he ever manage to find a way to be freed from this curse?''
There was silence for a moment, before Plagg answered in a dispirited tone.
''No,'' he said, before quickly adding, ''I mean, I had already told you that the Ladybug Earrings had been lost for ages, at least until now. There was no Ladybug to save the previous victim of the curse.''
''So, what happened to him?'' Chat Noir asked, feeling his heart race in anticipation. There was silence once more, with Plagg being obviously hesitant to tell him the truth.
''He…'' Plagg gulped, before confessing dejectedly, ''He hung himself, being driven into despair and depression due to the curse destroying his life. He believed this was his only way out… and it was…''
Chat Noir closed his eyes, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. His hands were shaking as he tightened his grip around the rose, his palm being protected from the thorns thanks to his suit. However, he wanted to bleed.
''Kid…'' Plagg called out for his holder. ''Hey, Félix… Please, promise me you won't do anything like that, okay? I don't want to lose you to the curse!''
Chat Noir didn't answer. Instead, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking down at the rose he was holding.
''I won't,'' he said, hearing Plagg sigh in relief. ''Giving into despair would be the easy way out.''
He looked up at the horizon, staring at the street lights illuminating the city as a determined look formed on his expression.
I know that, one day, Ladybug will fall in love with me. I will find a way to end my suffering.
