Miraculous Ladybug: Season Six | Part One

Chapter Nineteen: Identity

Thud.

  "Hi, Kitty!" I turn around to see a cheerful Ladybug waving towards me. I tilt my head, "Did you forget we're taking the first night shift?" I tease, smiling at her as she walks over towards me. She rolls her eyes, "Of course not!" She laughs, almost artificially, like she's thinking of something else. I straighten my head, "You're lucky that tonight has been uneventful," I begin, turning away to face Paris again, "Or I would've been one sad cat!" I giggled, smiling for a moment until she didn't make a single sound. My face dropped at the lack of reaction. "What's wrong, M'Lady?" I question, looking back towards her.
  She walks over to the ledge, joining me by my side as she sighs, "Chat, I need to tell you the identity of Monarch." She whispers, avoiding eye contact with me; she's staring towards the lit city beyond us. My stomach drops, "I- I thought you said you were waiting for a good time?" I respond gently, trying to get her to look at me. I touch her shoulder, "Are you sure?"
  She looks at me with tears filling her eyes, "Chat, I lied to you... and all of Paris." She sobbed, taking my hand off her shoulder so she could cover her eyes with her hands. I stare at her, confused about what she could've lied about. I inhale sharply, "What exactly... did you lie about." I asked as my body began to shut down.

I need to hear her say it.

  She uncovered her eyes, and her sobs stopped. We stare at each other in complete silence. "Gabriel Agreste."
  My eyes widened, and I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent tears from escaping my eyes.

She can't know my identity.

  My teeth grind together, "Why." I growl, clenching my eyes shut. I don't know if I'm asking why... my own father or why she lied. "Why WHAT?" She cries, letting sobs escape her throat. "WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME? YOUR PARTNER???" I snap, deciding to take that narrative instead. I didn't care about my father being a terrorist. Why did my best friend, my partner in crime, LADYBUG, feel the need to lie to ME?
  She jumps at my tone and takes a step away from me. "Chat- I-I had to. I had to lie to everyone. He asked me to protect his son..." she whimpers and wallows in self-pity. My head begins to pound as I ball up my fists. I could... I won't. "His son. Adrien Agreste." I mock in a high-pitched tone. "WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT HIM THAT YOU COULDN'T TELL ME THE IDENTITY OF THE SELF-LOATHING MAN WHO TERRORIZED PARIS FOR OVER A YEAR???" I barked, staring her at her bright blue eyes from a distance. She swallows, stepping another step away from me. "Oh, so now you're scared. IS THIS YOUR PERFECT MOMENT LADYBUG?" I spread my arms, glaring at her, walking towards her slowly. "You LIED to me, our allies, PARIS. You didn't protect Adrien Agreste; YOU protected Gabriel." I hiss, pinning her against the fenced edge. Tears stroll down her face again; reaching up to my face, I grit my teeth again. "You made a hero out of the villain, Ladybug," I whisper, backing away from her. The sight of her makes me physically ill. I point at her, "You are almost as bad as him. It's too bad I don't know your identity to loathe you like I loathe him properly." I hiss before walking away to the opposite edge to leave.
  "Chat-" she croaks from behind. I whip around to find her on her knees, sobbing. I inhale, "What." I growl lowly in response. We sit in silence for a moment before I turn away again. "Don't." She whispers before I take my staff out of its holder. I turn around at lightning speed. "Don't WHAT? Leave? You would hate that, wouldn't you? All alone in this hell, YOU created. Ladybug," I grab her by her hand, bringing her to her feet. "YOU had the decision to be honest with me. You could've lied to all of Paris to keep Adrien safe for his father's sake. BUT ME? I am not him. NOR are ANY of our allies. I can confirm that." I lie through my teeth; now, who's the liar? She sobs as I stare at her. "You're a coward," I mutter, walking away, leaving her with no one. "Goodbye, Ladybug."

Ladybug's POV
  I sit watching Chat Noir vault away with his staff. I fall to my knees again, staring down at my hands, tears falling onto them. "Marinette... do you-" "No, Luka. He needed to know. It was always going to be too late to tell him." I whisper, taking out the earpiece. "Tikki spots off," I whisper, detransforming. Tikki looks at me speechless. Even she didn't expect this from him, it looks like. "I just lost my partner." I sob quietly as I reach for my phone. I immediately called Alya as my final lifeline. "Hey-" she begins before I cut her off. "I know it's a school night, but can you come over," I whisper, holding back sobs as I push myself to stand up and walk towards the elevator. "Yeah! Is everything okay?" She asks in a concerned tone. I count the seconds between our silence, "No," I answer, hanging up. I felt like I was going to vomit; this is bad. Really bad.
  My phone goes off; I stare at the call from Luka. I answer hesitantly as the elevator arrives, "Marinette, I wanted to let you know you did the right thing. I'm sorry it did-." He stammered, worried. I begin to sob, "I failed Luka." I mumble through the phone as I enter the elevator. "You didn't fail... I'm sure he will come around once he gets his thoughts together." He reassured me in his best capacity through a phone. I stand in silence, "I need to go, Luka."