Ch 14 Facing the Future
Author's Note: first, this chapter is long because I as too stubborn to split it into multiple chapters like a sane person would.
Also, Adrien might seem a bit out of character, but he's still grieving, so take anything he says or does with a grain of salt. It's the result of someone still recovering from trauma.
Six months after Plagg's death
Chat Noir landed in his room and de-transformed.
Months after losing his kwami, it still wasn't easy for him to be there alone. Everything reminded him of Plagg. His only solution was to spend every possible moment away from home. Sure, he kept up appearances for his father and Nathalie. But mercifully, they were too busy to notice that every day after school, he came home, went to his room, and snuck out his window at the first opportunity.
He hated 'this new normal,' but there wasn't much he could do about it. Not until, he got Bunnix to go back and save Plagg's life. Until then, he just had to stick it out.
But it wasn't easy.
There were days when he'd think, Oh, Plagg would tease me relentlessly for this. Or what would he say if he heard about that? And the pain hit Adrien so hard, his knuckles locked up, and his whole body ached. It was worse than when his mom disappeared because Adrien always thought she'd come back. As far as he knew, Plagg wouldn't.
Not unless Bunnix saves him. That was the only solution he saw.
"In the meantime, I've just got to stick it out," he said to an empty room. Deflating a little, he admitted, "Easier said than done."
To stay positive, he tried counting all the good things that happened to him each day. Sometimes it was just little stuff like 'I got some sunshine' or 'Marinette gave me a fresh-made croissant.' But every little bit helped.
As more time passed, Adrien counted more blessings. At the top of the list, he was grateful for the time he spent with friends. He saw Marinette on her balcony practically every other night, and he spent the bulk of his days talking to Nino. All to keep the pain at bay.
Except for today.
Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzzzzz. Adrien's phone lit up. Pulling out of a pocket, he saw he had six missed calls from Nino.
Adrien groaned. Ok, so while he usually liked his friends looking out for him, there times like today, when he didn't want to deal with anyone, best friend or no.
Maybe if he just ignored it, Nino would leave him alone.
Life was tough enough. Earlier that day, Adrien, as Chat Noir, completely humiliated himself when he mistook a sentimonster for Ladybug. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about it with the only person who knew his secret identity.
Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzzzzz.
I never should've told him, Adrien thought darkly. I don't need him checking up on me every time I screw up… Memories from the day's horror show flashed through his mind, and Adrien visibly winced. Right now, he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
Can't I do that in peace?
As if in answer to his question, the phone buzzed one more time before blinking "7Missed Calls"and going dark.
"Thank you," Adrien said to no one in particular. He kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his underwear. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers over his head. He wanted to close his eyes and pretend this whole nightmarish day never happened.
But as many know, depression and anxiety go hand in hand. When his depression said, "Let's sleep," Adrien's anxiety shouted, "NOPE!" As if he wasn't feeling guilty enough, a negative voice in the back of his mind asked him, How will Ladybug and Marinette react to all this?
Adrien had no clue they were the same person, so it felt like he was cheating on both of them. Chat worked with Ladybug, but he spoke to Marinette almost every night. She deserved an explanation for why the guy who spent most of his evenings with her was suddenly declaring his feelings for his partner.
The ache in his chest deepened, and his joints locked up as Adrien realized that his stupidity might have cost him BOTH the girls he liked. Ladybug would hate him for baring his heart to a sentimonster, and Marinette would kick him to the curb for having feelings for two girls at once. She'd probably assume he was leading her on.
The thought of losing Marinette hurt, like it physically hurt. Adrien really liked her. More than like, he loved her, but after today, he didn't expect she'd ever speak to him again.
It's for the best that I stay away…
Wait. Best for whom? It's been less than a day, and I already miss her.
Ugh, just go to sleep, he told himself. He could worry about it tomorrow. For now, he should clear his mind and…
Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzzzzz
Oh, come on! Adrien flung off the covers and snatched up his phone. Thumbing the green answer button, he brought it to his ear. "What Nino?"
"Dude, you're in love with Ladybug? I thought you were all into Marinette now?"
Adrien groaned and flopped back on the bed.
It was true. Adrien fell head-over-heels for Marinette these past few months. She was amazing in every sense of the word, but today, caught up in the moment with Ladybug (or at least who he THOUGHT was Ladybug), he publicly confessed he wasn't over his old crush.
He barely noticed the news drones recording the whole thing to post online. "It's… complicated."
"Bro, 'complicated' might as well be your theme song."
Considering the day's events, Adrien couldn't say he was wrong.
Earlier that day…
'Ladybug' was in tears.
Chat came as soon as heard she was sobbing atop of the Eiffel Tower. "Ladybug, what's wrong?" Dramatically, she turned away from him, but he tried again. "Ladybug, whatever it is, I swear we can fix it together."
"Together?" Ladybug turned on him. "Why would you ever want to work with me again? I failed you! I'm worthless to you and to Paris. Admit it, you HATE me!"
"That's not true!"
"Yes, it is! I lost my power to restore the city after battles. The people of Paris put their faith in me, and I failed them," Ladybug cried.
It didn't help that camera drones were buzzing around catching every word. This whole conversation was streaming live. Later, Chat would realize that was by design. A plot from the villains to destroy public opinion of the Heroes. But at the time, he ignored the cameras to focus on Ladybug. Or at least, to focus on the sentimonster posing as Ladybug.
"Ladybug, it wasn't your fault that you lost your earing. That was all Hawkmoth…" Well, technically, Mayura, but anyway… "We will get it back and fix all the damage he caused. I promise."
That was a hard promise to keep. His partner could create things, but she couldn't repair anything until she got that earring back. And Chat was only hoping the Miraculous could fix old damages. As it was, he had to be SO careful with cataclysms since he knew they were as good as permanent. Most of the time, he stuck to hand-to-hand combat.
"Chat, don't lie," Faux-bug said, with a shake of her head. "Everyone knows you hate me…" Chat denied it, but she went on. "…We all know you blame me for what happened. And you should. All Paris should hate me. It's what I deserve."
"That's not true." Chat told her.
Her fake little smile was bittersweet as she countered, "Isn't it? Everyone sees how things changed between us. You still work with me, but you hate me just like you should."
"Ladybug, you're wrong. I was angry when Plagg died…" (If Chat wasn't so caught up in his confession, he would've seen Ladybug's face blank when he mentioned the kwami). "…but that was because I blamed myself for what happened to him. It took me so long to see that it wasn't you or me. It was ALL Hawkmoth. It was his fault. It was his reign of terror that cost me so dearly."
Chat took a step closer and reached for her hand, not noticing the subtle way she angled for his ring. "Ladybug," he said. "I was angry at what happened, but I could never hate you. After everything we've been through together, you mean the world to me. I love you."
Faux-bug's face shone with hope. "Really?"
"Really," Chat promised, stepping closer. "I…" he hesitated. Was he really going to admit this? Yes, she needs to know. "Ladybug, during these past few months, I've fallen in love with someone else…" Chat had the sense not to say Marinette's name with the cameras around. "But one part of my heart still belongs to you. And it always will."
It was the perfect set up for a kiss.
Faux-bug leaned in with lips almost touching…
Until the REAL Ladybug snatched her away.
Afterward, Adrien was mortified.
He (well, Chat Noir) confessed his feelings to a sentimonster on national television. While the reaction from the rest of France was bad enough, Adrien was terrified to face Ladybug or Marinette.
What sort of scum harbors feelings for two different girls at the same time? He thought, openly hating himself. They'll never forget this, much less forgive it.
Still on the phone, Nino said, "Dude, have you actually talked to Marinette?"
"How can I? Nino, she's going to HATE me!" Adrien exclaimed. "It's like I've been cheating on her with Ladybug."
"Bro, first, you're not really dating Marinette OR Ladybug. And second, you don't know that she'll flip out. Talk to her. Marinette's cool; she might get where you're coming from."
"Yeah, right." After a pause. "Nino, what if she never wants to talk to me again?" Adrien hated how small he sounded right now.
"Then, I'll let you ball on my shoulder, but I'll bet you it doesn't come to that." When Adrien didn't say anything, Nino told him, "Dude, for the love of everything sane, GO TALK TO HER."
Silence, then, "Fine."
"Thank you."
"Nino, for the record, I don't need you checking up on me every five minutes." Seven missed calls. Really?
"Of course, you don't," Nino agreed easily. "Don't forget to call afterwards to let me know how it goes. Otherwise, I'll just have to call another seven times till you pick up."
Adrien rolled his eyes, but a smile pulled at his lips."Fine, will do." He got out of bed and pulled his jeans back on, but he didn't hang up just yet. "Hey, Nino?"
"Yeah, man?"
"Thanks." Adrien said, "You know, for everything, for looking out for me."
"No problem," Nino told him. "This may be news to you, but it's what friends do. They talk. They listen. And they tell you when you're being stupid. And, bro, you're being stupid. Stop stalling and go talk to Marinette."
With that last bit of reassurance, Adrien hung up. It was strange. As awful as things were since losing Plagg, Adrien still wasn't alone. He had at least one friend in the world.
And now, it's time to find out if I still have another.
He finished getting dressed (Chat Noir didn't NEED clothes under his costume, but Adrien would feel so weird without them) and he transformed.
As he leapt from rooftop to rooftop off to see his Princess, he said a silent prayer that somehow, she could find a way to forgive him. One day. If he was lucky.
Odds are slim, he thought, but who knows? Sometimes, miracles happen.
Marinette couldn't believe it. Chat Noir loved her?
She dragged the video bar back to re-watch the clip from the beginning, listening closely.
"I've fallen in love with someone else, but one part of my heart still belongs to you… And It always will."
"Am I the 'someone'?" She asked Tikki, "Or is it someone else?"
Tikki shrugged (Stop lyin',Tikki. We all know you know the truth, but since you're soooo set on them finding their way in their own time...)
Marinette paced the length of her room. She guessed that Chat liked her as herself (why else would he spend so many nights talking to her on her balcony?), but if today's confession was for real, then he loved Ladybug, too. It was hard to wrap her head around. Chat was so cold to Ladybug after he lost Plagg that Marinette was sure he'd never forgive her.
"But all this time, he secretly liked her, I mean, me?" Marinette asked as the video played again. "Is it true? Do you like me? Like, do you LIKE like me?" She asked her screen.
She couldn't wait to see him again. But wait, what if he wasn't talking about me? What if it's someone else? "Tikki, what if I'm 'just a friend' to him? That's all I ever was to Adrien. What if he just sees a 'friend'and not a 'girlfriend'?"
"Oh, Marinette, I've seen how he looks at you. You're the sun, moon, and stars to him."
"Are you sure? He said today that Ladybug was the 'world' to him. Do you think he meant it?"
Tikki paused, looking up toward the balcony. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"You mean he's HERE?!" Marinette yelped. She ran to put on lip gloss. No! She should change her top! No, wait, she should… Her feet twisted on the rug, causing her to trip and fall with a thud.
"Marinette?" The voice was muffled, but there was no mistaking it was Chat Noir.
"Just a minute!" Marinette called up to him. She straightened herself out and took a calming breath, determined to play it cool. That lasted about three seconds. She crawled out the hatch to her balcony, resisting the urge to throw her arms around Chat's neck.
On the other hand, Chat misread her jubilance. He was sure the blush in her cheeks was quiet rage. That the twinkle in her eyes was evidence of a seething hate. He didn't give her the chance to speak. He threw himself at her feet begging for forgiveness.
"Marinette, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen. I swear I thought I was over Ladybug. I didn't think I still liked her, and I don't. I mean I do, but not in the way I like you. I like her but I like you more. I mean, like, I like her, but I really like YOU. Honestly, Marinette, I love y…" Danger! Abort! ABORT! "…I mean, I love spending time with you." Oh, what am I scared of? She's never gonna talk to me again anyway. "Purrincess, you might not believe it, but I love you."
There. He said it. From his knees, Chat searched Marinette's face for some sign she'd give him a second chance (or a first chance, since they weren't officially dating yet).
Marinette, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with Chat's rant. There was only one part that stuck with her. "You love me?"
Chat's heart was in his throat. "Yes, Marinette, I do… except there's this stupid part of me that thinks it's still in love with Ladybug, but I'm not. She's my partner, but that's it. I swear. If you give me a chance, I swear I will never let you down."
Marinette was running a little slow, but she got that Chat still had feelings for Ladybug, even though, he wanted to get over them, because he had deeper feelings for Marinette.
The girl laughe out loud, thinking how much more complicated this would be if she weren't Ladybug. (Although to be fair, it was plenty complicated enough.)
But Miraculous law demanded she keep her identity a secret, so how could she convince Chat that she forgave him for 'loving someone else?'
Marinette tried to put herself in his shoes. And then it hit her like a blow to a chest: she WAS in his shoes. As much as she liked (maybe even loved) Chat Noir now, she couldn't say she was over her crush on Adrien.
Oh, that's completely different, she thought, I might be Ladybug, but it's not like Adrien is secretly Chat Noir.
Have you ever heard of something so ridiculous?
It was time for Marinette to come forward with a confession of her own. "Chat, this might be hard to hear, but I know exactly where you're coming from." Chat Noir was about to speak, but she held up a hand to stop him. "You're not the only one who's heart went haywire with love…" Oh, Chat, can you ever forgive me? "… I really like you, but I also like this other boy in my class."
Marinette winced, waiting for the fallout.
"You do?" Chat's mind raced. Who is it? Marinette was friendly with all their classmates (minus Chloe and Lila), but he never remembered her fawning over anyone.
Marinette covered her face with her hands. She didn't want to see his reaction, when she confessed, "His name's Adrien."
It took him a beat to recover. "Wait, you like Adrien AGRESTE?"
"I know. I'm totally lame! Half of Paris is in love with him."
Chat couldn't believe it. "So, you're torn between liking me and, uh, this Agreste boy?"
Marinette nodded, without removing her hands from her face. "Chat, can you ever forgive me? I feel like I've been so unfaithful to you."
"Marinette," Chat said, pulling her hands from her face. "Believe me when I say there's nothing to forgive. I love you. I work with superheroes every day – I am ONE – but YOU are the most amazing girl I've ever met. If you can take me with my stupid heart, I'd be honored to hold your beautiful one. Even if I have to share it with Adrien," He added, quickly. "Purrincess, I promise these paws might not look like much, but if you give me a chance, they'll never let you down."
Marinette couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around Chat and let him hold her close. "Yes! Yes! Absolutely YES!" Immediately, she sobered, pulling back. She decided to go out on a limb. "Chat Noir, if you're not busy, would you go out with me? Like for a meal? Tomorrow or whenever you're free? I could cook, and we could have a picnic. If you'd like."
Chat had to be sure he heard her right. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, are you asking me on a date?"
"Yes, I am," Marinette's blush deepened as she awaited his answer.
He didn't make her wait long. "It would be my honor… only if you let me get a spot ready for us," he offered, already thinking of rose pedals and candles.
"I'll prepare a basket," Marinette replied. In her mind, she listed ingredients and ideas. Fortunately, they spent so much time together that she had a pretty good idea what he'd like.
Chat beamed. "Purrfect!" Then, he almost face-palmed. This was no time for puns! "I mean great!"
Marinette smiled as her hand reached up to caress his cheek. "That sounds absolutely cat-tastic to me, Chat Noir."
A doctor might say otherwise, but Chat was sure his heart just melted in his chest. He could KISS this girl. He even took a step forward to do just that… before catching himself. He was a gentleman! Gentlemen don't just move in for a kiss. Marinette might not even WANT to kiss him…
But Marinette was on his wavelength.
Reaching up on her tiptoes, she moved as if to kiss the corner of his mouth, and Chat turned his head ever-so-slightly so that their lips touched.
Forget melting. Adrien's heart ignited into FIREWORKS!
As for Marinette, if she were a kitten, she'd be purring, too.
Ten Years later…
Adrien ran a hand though his son's tangled mess of dark curls as they walked back to the house.
They'd just spent two hours helping neighbors clean up after 'Hurricane Emil' blew through Paris. His son was too small for most tasks, but he could run and gather leaves and twigs by hand.
Nino, who was with them, had the foresight to turn it into a game. "Come on, Little Dude. I bet there's no WAY you could pile more leaves than ME."
"Yes, I can!" Emil shouted, scrambling off to gather leaves to win. Emil worked hard to keep up with his father and uncle, so it was no surprise, when Adrien looked over after an hour and saw him curled up on the lawn, asleep in the sun.
In that moment, Adrien almost saw someone else. Another little kitten who loved sunshine and cat naps…
Adrien shook his head. All four-year-olds take naps. Don't think too much of it.
Emil woke up as the adults were bagging the last of the piles of debris. And when they were finished, he happily took his father's hand as they walked back to the house.
His mother greeted them at the door when they got back. "Mommy!" Emil ran up, and Marinette scooped him up into her waiting arms.
"What have you been up to?"
"I helped Daddy clean."
"Did you now?" Marinette's gaze moved to her husband. "And how did that go?"
Adrien heard the silent question, Are you sure that's safe? Taking him outside with his powers....
"It was fine," he assured her. "It was actually Chloe's idea. She said that if Emil was going to make messes, it might do him some good to help clean them up." She also suggested that Adrien give Emil his Miraculous. Neither Adrian nor Emil needed it to HAVE powers, but the ring still made it much easier for Adrien to control his cataclysms. Maybe it could do the same for Emil until he got older.
Nino added, "And Emil was great. He even beat me at a leaf-piling competition."
"I DID!" Emil told her, so proud of himself. "My pile was TTHIIISSS big. It almost touched the SKY!"
"WOW," Marinette said, listening attentively to her little boy. "So, after all that work, I bet you're WAY too tired to help me make a batch of chocolate-chip cookies?" Marinette smiled when Emil's eyes lit up.
"Cookies! Yay!" He wriggled out of her arms and bound down to the kitchen, leaving the adults behind.
Nino stepped away, and when they were alone, Adrien turned to his wife to ask, "Have you seen Alix or Alya since you woke up?"
"Yeah, they showed up about an hour ago. They're in the kitchen. Why? Is everything ok?"
Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I was just… paranoid. It's nothing." He should've known Alix would keep her promise. Adrien slid an arm around his wife's waist, and together, they walked to the kitchen.
Outside the door, Adrien was hit with an odor he hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Simultaneously, stinky and sweet.
It couldn't be…
He shoved the door open and stepped into the kitchen to see Alix, Alya, and Emil sitting on bar stools enjoying a cheese tray. While the ladies were eating popular choices, Emil was gobbling down his own small container of…
"Camembert?" Adrien asked, stepping closer.
Alya popped up from her seat. "Sorry, that's my fault. I wanted to get him something, and well, the last time I watched him, I learned SOMEBODY has a taste stinky, old cheese, don't you?"
"The stinkier the BETTER!" Emil cheered.
"So, Alix and I picked up some from the store after, uh, running a quick errand." Alya studied Adrien's reaction, hoping he wasn't mad. She knew the ex-model stopped eating cheese years ago.
Adrien was silent. Trying to make sense of what his instincts were telling him (what they'd been telling him for a while, but it'd always seemed too miraculous to believe.) No way…
"Mommy?" Emil asked, hopping down from his seat to run up to her.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Could we put some mam-membert on the choco chip cookies?"
Marinette winced. "How about with brie…?" She compromised, even as her nose wrinkled, "…on sourdough?"
"Yes!" Emil was so excited he was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Yes! Yes! YESSS!"
Marinette watched her son twirl around, before turning to her husband. "Most boys his age like dinosaurs and fire trucks. Our son is a four-year-old cheese connoisseur?"
Beside her, a red and black kwami giggled, "I promise you, Marinette, it goes back much further than four years. Much MUCH further."
Strangely, Tikki looked to Adrien, as if sharing a secret. And that look confirmed what Adrien's heart was already knew…
But without letting anyone else in on the surprise, Tikki zipped over to the little boy. "Hey Emil, I'm pretty sure I know where we can find a whole kilo of Bleu d'Auvergne hidden upstairs."
"What's Blue Arnie?"
"A SUPER stinky cheese."
Emil's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Really?"
Tikki nuzzled him once, before pulling back to look at him over. In a hush, she asked, "Would I ever joke about cheese?"
With the confidence only four-year-olds know, Emil declared, "Never! Come on, Sugarcube. Let's go find it!" The boy raced out of the kitchen with the kwami tailing close behind.
Adrien followed them with his eyes, and something in his expression made his friends ask if everything was ok.
"Yeah," he said, eyes still fixed on the door. He didn't know how to put it into words, but ten years ago, a part of him died. And it was only today, that he saw that part was alive and well, and... "Better than ok. Great. Amazing, and downright Miraculous."
Fin
Author's Note:
Thus, concludes The Death of Chat Noir.
First, a definite 'thank you' to everyone who reviewed. Special shout-out to Yellow 14, Tiffany Smith, puppydog68 for each reviewing multiple times. Writing is hard, but audience participation makes it worth it.
Second, let the record show, Adrien and Chat are my favorite characters bar none. And as wonderful as they are for each other, Adrien desperately needs MORE healthy relationships! I swear the boy doesn't even know what healthy love LOOKS like. I have no doubt that Gabriel, Nathalie, Marinette, and Nino all love him in their ways, but their love is useless at best and dangerous at worst. At the start of this story (and frankly, in the show), the only one who isn't setting him up for heartache is Plagg. But by the end, he has Marinette, Nino, Alya, Bunnix, and others all there for him when it matters.
As for Plagg and Emil...
I believe that in life and in literature, "a sacrifice is only a sacrifice if it IS a sacrifice." Having Plagg sacrifice himself and then come right back like nothing ever happened would've invalidated the sacrifice. Let's be clear, I always intended to bring him back (In the first several drafts, Plagg came back for no explainable reason as soon as Adrien ate a slice of Camembert). But I didn't want things to be exactly the same as they always were.
Stories are about growth and change. Hence, we have Emil who is less "Plagg reincarnated," and more "the living embodiment of Plagg's legacy."
So, now it's your turn to tell me what you think. Did you like it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you so much for reading!
Till next time…
PS Officially the story ends here, but I still have a little 'bonus content' if you're interested. I once said this story is an amalgam of 3 episodes of my fanfic version of season 3.
Well, there's more where that comes from…