A/N: The basic concept for this one was born in a discord brainstorm session. I hope you enjoy! Fix You by Cody Fry really embodies this breakup here at the beginning, go give it a listen if you feel like it! This has three chapters in all.
"What?" Ladybug breathed, tears gathering in her eyes.
Chat Noir stood across from her on their rooftop, equally distraught after their drawn out fight. He sucked in a haggard breath. "I think we should end this."
Pain slid its way through her heart, even as a part of her knew he was right.
They'd been fighting more often recently, all centered around one, unchangeable fact: they couldn't reveal their identities to one another.
It wasn't that they simply chose not to: one of the magical protections the Guardian had put in place for the wearers of the black cat and ladybug miraculous was that they could not reveal who they were.
Despite knowing this, the two had begun dating in secret, determined to be together until they managed to defeat Hawk Moth.
It had been wonderful.
But months turned into years, and the strain of not being able to be truly together in the open took its toll.
With no end to Hawk Moth's reign in sight, tensions grew, and fights ramped up over whether to try and get around the magic. There was only so much one could learn about another while keeping identities a secret.
The inability to have truly open conversation and other barriers between them rose to levels that hurt them both. It began to affect their ability to fight effectively together.
But Ladybug loved him, and he loved her.
So when Chat Noir brought forward splitting up after another fight in the rain, tears of sorrow fell from both of their faces. "We can't keep doing this, Bug," he said, distraught.
Her voice breaking, Ladybug finally admitted defeat. "I think you're right."
The two came together, their lips meeting as they grieved together.
One last time, they said without words, limbs tangling, suits tearing, hands caressing.
Tears flowing.
After making love one last time together on the roof, they parted ways, both feeling more than a little lost.
After two nights of crying, Marinette's heart sank at the sound of the akuma alert going off.
"This is going to be so difficult," she told Tikki, wiping her tears away as she stood up. "I don't know how to go back to not loving him."
Tikki gave her a sympathetic look. "You were friends long before this. I'm sure you can find your way back there, eventually."
Marinette took a deep breath before transforming.
When she arrived at the fight, she felt shocked to see someone else instead of Chat Noir wearing the black cat miraculous.
Green hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail and suit lined with crisp regal-like golden lines, the perfectly-poised Cat Walker stood on the rooftop overlooking the akuma.
The same stand-in who had shown up only briefly in her youth.
He was older now, she could tell, but otherwise looked almost exactly as she remembered him.
As soon as she touched down beside him, she demanded answers. "Cat Walker? Where's Chat Noir?"
He turned away from the scene below, offering her a politely apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ladybug. He said he needed some space."
The words cut through her, a reminder of what he was going through.
Sudden anger filled her. She was hurting too, but she wasn't slacking off on her job because of it.
"Fine," she snapped. "Are you prepared for this fight, then? I know it's been a while for you."
He merely nodded, turning back. "I think I can handle myself. Shall we begin?"
They jumped into the fight, and Ladybug had to admit they worked well together.
His no-nonsense attitude helped to keep her own emotions tempered, a godsend after her difficulties over the last several days.
She almost didn't even miss the usual banter and puns that usually accompanied the battles.
Almost.
When the akuma was cleansed, Ladybug looked over at the man, guilt filling her at her treatment of him before. It wasn't his fault that Chat Noir wasn't there, after all.
She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you mind if we have a talk?"
"Not at all, Ladybug. Lead the way." There was something soothing about the man's voice, a comfort to her when everything still seemed out of control.
Ladybug led him away, dropping down on her and Chat's rooftop.
She froze for a moment when she realized where her feet had automatically taken her. Then she quickly continued on, finding another balcony with a closed-off outdoor space some distance away from all the memories.
Cat Walker dropped down next to her and she looked him over. He looked cool and collected, a far cry from how she felt at the moment. It was clear he could tell something was off, however, as the concern began to fall into place, his eyebrows furrowing. "Are you okay, Ladybug?"
She tried to shake off her feelings. "I wanted to apologize for being rude earlier. I'mâ having an off day, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry."
"Not at all. I'm sure I surprised you."
She smiled up at him. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?" With a bit of embarrassment, she remembered the crush she had quickly developed on him in their short time together. It had felt so silly, and in the end, she had realized how much Chat Noir had really meant to her, back then.
Her smile faded as she thought about her partner.
Almost afraid of the answer, she asked softly, "He didn't give up his miraculous, did he?" The thought sent another stab of pain through her heart; it had been the only solution that neither of them had pushed for; giving up their duties for one another.
If he had done that now, because he could no longer stand to be around her...
"No, Ladybug, not for good. He told me he merely needed a break."
"Oh." She felt relieved at that. "That's... good."
The relief was short lived however, as she felt her sadness returning.
Cat Walker seemed to hesitate before taking a step closer. "If I may ask, are you alright? You don't seem to be doing well."
She let out a sigh, dropping down on the side of the roof to let her feet hang down.
When Cat Walker joined her, she couldn't help but think about how a different pair of boots usually hung down beside her.
Would everything remind her of him now?
She dropped her head into her hands."I'm not. I'm really not."
He didn't say anything at first. Eventually, he quietly asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"
She sighed. "Just going through something. I can't really discuss it."
"Of course. I understand." She missed the hint of relief in his words, focusing instead on how easy it was to be around him. He didn't push, and yet somehow made her feel like she could tell him anything, and he would give her his full attention.
She found herself talking anyway, despite her previous statement. "This mask can be such a burden, sometimes. Part of me wishes I had never accepted my role."
"It's a lot of responsibility," he agreed. "I suppose I'm lucky, in a way, to only be called on every once in a while."
"Don't get me wrong, I love my job, love protecting the people of Paris. But I wish I had been able to defeat Hawk Moth before I hurt those I love."
Cat Walker placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find Hawk Moth, Ladybug, and take him down for good."
"I've made no headway. We aren't anywhere closer now than we were a year ago. And now... now I've lost something precious to me. And I don't know how to move on."
His hand fell away, and she looked over to see him staring off into the distance. "Sometimes..." he began, softly, "...sometimes we have to do things that are difficult. And trust that it's the right thing to do."
Ladybug felt her tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She laid her head over on his shoulder, staring into the city. They sat in silence for a while after that, taking in the sights and sounds of Paris at night. Eventually, Ladybug sat back up. "Thanks, Cat. For being a good listener."
"You're welcome, Ladybug. Anytime." When she turned to look at him, he stared back at her, something unreadable in his gaze. "I'm so sorry that you're having a hard time. I wish I could help."
Something felt charged suddenly in the air between them. Ladybug's eyes wandered from the elegant sweep of his deep-green hair down to his lips.
Her breath caught. It was a reckless thought. A stupid one. And yet...
Perhaps... she needed to move on. Perhaps it was a good thing that she didn't know a thing about Cat Walker, except that he seemed not to be moving away as the mood shifted between them.
"Would you... want to help me?" Her questionwas soft, uncertain and unable to drag her eyes away from him.
He didn't move, similarly entranced. "Help you, how?" His face seemed so close to hers, the electricity in the air between them ramping up.
She inched closer. She wasn't sure where this desperate need came from, but she suddenly felt like she wanted this. Wanted him, someone unknown, but also relatively safe; he wouldn't have been chosen to wield the miraculous, if he wasn't. "Help me move on."
He sucked in a breath, his head tilting slightly as his eyes dropped to her mouth. "If that's what you would like."
She kissed him, her pain and sorrow filling her with the desire to forget.
Perhaps this was what she needed. A way to firmly close the door on her and Chat, so she could refocus on her job, without being so held back by the pain.
He kissed her slowly, his mouth moving with a quiet intensity over hers that matched his personality. He gave every piece of her his attention, stoking the fire within her with every brush of his gloved hands.
They ended up further back on the roof as his lips moved over her, until he carefully stood up, pulling her along with him. Without breaking contact, he guided her back to the soft cushions of a patio couch on the deserted balcony.
As they removed barriers between them, Ladybug let her mind go blank, focusing on the sensations and trying not to think about anything else.
It didn't work out quite as well as she hoped.
Every brush across his suit reminded her of Chat, every scrape of his claws a little too close to her memories.
By the time he was inside her, she had to keep her eyes open and focused on his face, just to remind herself who she was with.
Watching his face directly brought on its own challenges, as the quiet intensity from before had only deepened into something almost desperate, something that made her wonder what else might be going on behind that gold-rimmed mask that had made him so amenable to her request. She didn't know anything about him, after all.
When they had both collapsed against the cushions, Ladybug felt strangely reluctant to let him go.
Which was why it surprised her when he jerked up and out of her arms, his face losing some of the careful composure it usually held. "I...I'm sorry, Ladybug." His eyes seemed a tad wild as they darted over her. "That was- I shouldn't have- I need to leave."
"Wait-" Ladybug tried to stop him, but he left too quickly. By the time Ladybug had used her lucky charm to reset her suit, he was gone.
Guilt rushed over her then. Had she pushed too hard?
She felt foolish as she headed home. What had she been thinking? Was she really destined to mess everything up with her partner, no matter who they were?
When it was Chat Noir that showed up the next day, Ladybug found herself irritated instead, frustrated that she hadn't even been able to talk with Cat Walker again to try and figure out what had gone wrong, to apologize.
And of course, she didn't know how to even contact him if he didn't have the miraculous.
Sure, she could ask Chat, but there was no freaking way she was going to do that.
No more heroes for you, Marinette, she told herself. Learn your lesson already. They're too complicated.
Three days later, Alya told her she was sick of the moping and that she had set her up with a blind date. Marinette rolled her eyes, but showed up on time to the designated restaurant, fully prepared to muddle through this awkward dinner and get back home to her regularly-scheduled brooding.
Perhaps she could even fit in a few minutes of wistfully staring out her window, if she skipped dessert.
She was wholly-unprepared for Adrien Agreste to come to a halt next to her table, his eyes a little wide at the sight of her. "Marinette?"
"Adrien?" She hadn't seen him in a very long time, despite the fact that he and Nino were friends. With how busy she had kept herself, inside of the suit and out, she'd hardly made time for socializing much outside of with Alya.
He pulled out the chair and sat down. "Nino practically threatened me to come here today. If I had known it was you, I probably wouldn't have resisted so much." He smiled slightly at her, though there was a deep sadness that lingered behind his outward cheer.
Marinette smiled back as the waiter stopped by for their drink orders. "Alya was sick of dealing with me raining down on her parade, apparently." Her smile faded. "You seem like you might be having a tough time, too. You okay?"
Adrien attempted to keep his smile in place, but finally lost the fight with a sigh as he looked down unseeingly at his menu. "I... just went through a bad breakup, actually."
Marinette let out a breath. "Same. I'm so sorry. I know how tough it can be." When he didn't look up, she sighed. "Look, Adrien, I'm really sorry you got roped into this. You don't have to stay just because Alya schemed to throw my old crush back in my face. You're free to spend your evening how you like, and I'll lie to Alya and say it didn't work out."
Instead of looking relieved as she had expected, Adrien looked up at her with a hint of interest cutting through his melancholy. "Wait, old crush?"
Marinette tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah, the big crush I used to have on you, back in school." When the shock appeared on his face, Marinette laughed, happily more at ease with the man than she had been in her youth. "Wait, you're telling me you never figured that out?" She'd been certain he'd eventually clued in, and remained polite with her in an effort to not encourage her.
Apparently, by the look on his face at the moment, she'd perhaps given him a bit more credit than deserved. "What? No, I didn't know. On me? I thought- I thought it was Luka-" He seemed almost embarrassed as his gaze went far away, before he let out a soft laugh and turned back to her with more warmth in his eyes than she had seen yet that evening. "I had a crush on you, back then."
Marinette's jaw dropped. "What?" Her response came out much more high-pitched than his had, and she felt something stir in her heart, a feeling that had long remained dormant.
He laughed again, amused by her reaction. "Oh yeah. For a while. But, well, things happened," the corners of his mouth dropped slightly as his eyes briefly went unfocused over her shoulder before returning to hers, "and I never said anything."
Marinette shook her head slightly, trying not to feel sad at the missed opportunity. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand. "Well, what have you been up to over the past few years?"
Marinette was pleased to discover that the gloomy mood she had begun the evening with disappeared as they caught up over dinner. Even Adrien's troubles seemed to vanish as they laughed and reacquainted themselves.
This was what she needed, Marinette realized. An opportunity to connect with someone she didn't need to dance around certain topics with. Even if nothing romantic came of it, it was wonderful to truly relax for a little while.
Despite what she told herself, however, Marinette's heart seemed to beat faster as the evening progressed, each pump bringing life back to her long-buried crush. The conversation flowed so easily, and she found herself engrossed in everything he told her. The interest in his own eyes as he listened made her believe that there could be something more on his side, as well.
After the check was paid, they stood up.
He surprised her when he took her hand, his emerald eyes on hers. "I had a great time tonight. Thank you, Marinette."
His face fell slightly, and she squeezed his hand.
"What's wrong?" Marinette asked, wondering if the distraction of their conversation was waning, bringing back his own melancholy. Perhaps she had been the only one to feel the deeper connection.
"I really don't want this date to end," he admitted with a half-smile. "I haven't felt this... free. In a long time."
She felt a blush rise in her cheeks. "Me neither," she agreed.
He licked his lips, seeming to consider something briefly before speaking again. "Would you like to come back to my place for a drink?"
"Yes!" she blurted out. "Yeah, I'd like to- love to drink you- ack, I mean, love to have a drink with you, if you want me to. Go with you, to your place. Totally."
Oh no, she groaned internally. Someone needed to shut her up immediately. Why did her stuttering have to come back now?
Adrien merely laughed lightly, his smile lighting up his face. "Let's go then."
She walked with him back to his apartment, their conversation continuing until they both ended up on his couch. Their glasses of wine remained untouched as they laughed, slowly moving closer to one another.
"I didn't realize you were so funny, Adrien." Marinette said with a grin after she finally managed to stop laughing at his story from his latest modeling shoot.
He smiled, looking slightly abashed. "It's nice to tell these stories to someone. I don't have a lot of people I can share them with, outside of Nino." Something changed in his eyes then, as he reached out with his hand to gently brush the hair out of her eyes. "You're incredibly easy to be around, Marinette. I'm sorry we lost touch."
She shrugged, trying to keep her brain from shutting off at the feel of his hand. "Life happens. I'm happy we reconnected. I'm just sorry it's while you're going through a hard time."
He leaned in slightly, and Marinette couldn't help herself from matching the movement. "It's more than okay. I think... I think you showing up in my life right now is... exactly what I need." They were very close now, just a hair's breadth away. He swallowed. "I'd like to kiss you," he breathed, and that was all it took for Marinette to close the distance between them.
When her lips met his, Marinette couldn't help but lose her breath slightly at the thought that she was kissing Adrien Agreste, something she had dreamed of since she was a young girl. Beyond that silly thought, Marinette couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of rightness.
While she refused to think about Chat, she did briefly compare the moment to when she'd been with Cat Walker. That moment had seemed desperate, as though she'd been trying so hard to take something from it that simply hadn't existed.
This moment, however, couldn't have felt any more different.
There was nothing hurried about their kiss, merely a mutual exploration that held an air of almost giddiness, like neither of them had been prepared for how quickly they had reached that point.
Throughout the whole evening, Marinette had been hit with reminder after reminder of why she had had her crush on him. The man was sweet, caring, amusing, and a little dorky, in an adorable way.
And now, feeling his hands move softly across her back and into her hair, Marinette couldn't help thinking that this was exactly where she was meant to be.
It left her feeling light, so much so that she couldn't seem to stop smiling against his mouth.
When she broke away with a soft laugh, his eyes met hers as the corner of his mouth lifted. "Are you okay?" he asked, bringing his hand around to rest against her neck and cheek.
"Yeah, more than okay." She pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling shy again. "I'm just, really happy right now. I wasn't expecting to feel this way for a long while."
He smiled back. "Me neither."
He leaned forward to kiss her again, and this time, things moved a little faster as their hands wandered further and pulse rates increased. His breath was ragged when he asked, "Would you like to..."
Marinette let out a soft "Yes," in response, and they stood up, still attached at the mouth as he started leading them through the apartment.
As he removed her shirt in the hall, his hands carefully palming her breasts through her bra, Marinette was hit by the realization that she had never done it like this before. She'd never been with anyone that hadn't been wearing a skin-tight and mostly-unremovable supersuit.
The thought left her feeling nearly tipsy with excitement, despite not having drank any of the wine.
His hands felt like fire on her skin, and she couldn't get enough of the way his bare fingers moved over her.
She fumbled with his own clothes, clearly less-experienced with quickly removing actual clothing than the model in front of her. Thankfully, he helped her out, until they finally made it to his bedroom, where he gently laid her down against the soft blankets.
While he darted away to grab a condom, Marinette breathed in deeply, taking in the smell of his sheets.
A bed was new to her as well, a luxury she had never been able to access before now.
When Adrien appeared above her once more, his eyes hid some form of his own excitement as he looked down at her, nestled in the sheets.
Something about his expression made a thought come to her. "Have you... done this before?"
"I have," he responded softly, though his enraptured gaze didn't disappear. "Just never in quite the same... circumstance."
"No one-night stands for you, then?" she asked, teasing.
Lowering his face down, he kissed her neck before trailing back up to her ear. Whispering, he said, "Is it too soon to say I'd like for this not to be only a one-night stand?"
Thrilled at his words and the touch of his tongue on her skin, Marinette twisted her head to the side to give him better access. She couldn't contain her quiet laugh, however. "Perhaps. I haven't even truly touched you yet. Maybe you should wait until tomorrow to decide if you want to see more of me."
"I don't need to wait any longer to know that, Marinette." He released her neck to press his mouth to hers once more before his eyes drifted over her. "I can see all of you now, and yet I know already that I want to see even more."
Marinette melted.
She tugged him down by his neck, and the two of them began to explore one another, surrounded by the soft sheets and the thrill of starting something new.
It felt nearly like a dream as Adrien and Marinette began officially dating.
Marinette had never expected things to be so easy with her former crush, and could hardly believe that she could possibly feel as happy as she did, so soon after feeling like her world had been split apart.
Even the tension between her and Chat Noir had begun to slowly dissipate, though the pain of losing him she wasn't sure she would ever forget completely. Nevertheless, they had tentatively started out on the path back to their former friendship, and Chat's moods seemed to lighten as the days went by. Having their priorities back fully on fighting akumas together helped as they navigated the changes in their relationship.
At times, she wondered if he too, had found someone in his own civilian life. She had no plans to ask, just as he didn't ask her about her own newfound happiness, but it did help her healing heart to know that he wasn't miserable.
Adrien spent most of his free time outside of his modeling with Marinette in her apartment, since she often worked on commissions when she finished her classes for the day.
Everything was effortless between them, and Marinette found herself quickly falling for him, just as she had long ago. Adrien seemed equally invested, even though she could see some of his lingering pain from his own breakup show through from time to time.
It was a comfort to be able to understand what the other was going through, and yet still find so much new to become excited about.
And then something happened that threatened to derail all of Marinette's budding happiness.
She discovered she was pregnant.
A/N: Cue the dramaaaa! Hope you enjoyed, I'd love to hear it in a review if you did!