Miraculous Reveals and More (A collection of One-Shots)

Chat Blanc: Part 1 (791 words)

"How's your evening going, M'lady?"

Ladybug turns to see Chat walking along the roof behind her. She had found a particularly dark corner of Paris to watch that night. One knee pulled up to her chest as the other one dangles off the edge. "I thought you were surveying the east side tonight." she remarks flatly, her gaze returning to the midnight horizon.

His brow furrows, taking a seat next to her, "I finished up and thought I'd come check on you. You kinda sounded a little off on the communicator when you suggested splitting up for patrol..."

"It's fine, I'm fine; I just wanted time to myself tonight, okay? I needed some space to think." she turns her face away from him slightly.

Concern becomes plain on Chats face. "Is there something you wanna talk about?" he offers.

A tear shimmers in the starlight as it streams down her cheek. "I wanted more time. But I kept delaying and delaying and now I'm, we're, out of time..." she swallows hard, keeping her gaze fixed out over the city. "My family is moving; we're leaving Paris."

Chat suddenly feels like he's falling; losing any sense of connection to the moment unfolding before him.

"And I'm going to see Master Fu in the morning. I'm turning in my Miraculous." her face is expressionless, probably as a result of previous grievances already spent over the thought of leaving, not just Paris, but also her role as Ladybug.

She takes a breath, steadying herself. "The rent on the bakery went up. We can't afford to live here anymore. My dad got a job at a bakery in the country, five hours away." she lists the facts robotically, not wanting to give into feeling anything. She knows that looking Chat in the face would be her undoing. Those sorrowful green eyes dimming.

She continues "I can't defend Paris from Hawkmoth, or any other threat, from that distance." she squeezes his hand, closing her eyes, "Please...don't worry about me. Please, Adrien, keep Paris safe, for me."

He doesn't respond.

"Please say something," her breathing becoming ragged, "Adrien!" she begs for a response, holding his hand to her cheek, she opens her eyes to see the empty husk of Chat Noir before her. She breaks down crying, as she had done a week ago, when her parents gave her the news. But this time, in front of Adrien, she was living the consequences she had gone over and over again in her head. Bracing for impact, only to end up wrecked anyway.

He takes a long shaky breath for what seems like the first time since Ladybug dropped the news. He exhales "I, I think I need, some time." he says in a low voice. He stands, Mari letting her hand drop from his, tears still overflowing from her eyes.

"Please don't leave me." she whimpers, "It's my last night as Ladybug."

He takes an audible breath, "I'm sorry, I just can't." he whispers before launching himself off the roof with his staff and into the night.

He runs. He runs to the opposite side of Paris before finally tiring out and crashing down on a roof on the East side.

He gasps for breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his throat burning, before he's able to get it down to a more controlled speed.

Only now do his feelings catch up with him, signaled by the rivers flowing from his eyes onto the roof. His whole future crumbled in a matter of seconds; leaving him a pile of rubble.

"Aghh." he facepalms, gripping the sides of his head in frustration. 'Why did I leave her?? I'm so stupid; what must she think of me?' he mentally berates himself. 'All I do is run away.' he thinks back to when he was told his mother had passed, how he had run from home and hid himself away.

His vision blurred from the flow of tears.

Which may be why he doesn't see the glowing purple butterfly drift in.

He inhales sharply; his muscles seize from his control; a voice fills his head.

"Ah, Chat Noir. Broken hearted, Chat Noir." the deep voice of Hawkmoth reverberates along his spine. "Who would have thought that it would be your own Ladybug to bring you down to this vulnerable mess you have become before me."

"Get out of my head!" Chat demands, on his hands and knees. He sees the black glow around his staff, still clutched in his hand. He attempts to crush it, using every scrap of will power he has left.

"I think Ladybug already has a new taker for her Miraculous. Would you fetch it for me?" Hawkmoth croons as the black cloud engulfs Chat.