All Good Things

By Desirée Dée

"Bye, bye, little butterfly." Ladybug waved as the delicate white creature flapped off into the distance. Chat stepped up beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. They watched in silence from the rooftop as it disappeared into the Parisian night.

"That's the last one." Chat said softly. Sadness tingeing his tone.

"Yeah." Ladybug echoed.

Papillion had been defeated months ago. In the midst of the final battle, a mass of dark Akuma had descended upon the city. Without their dark master to guide them, many just fluttered around aimlessly, these were easily caught and purified.

Occasionally, they would possess objects that people had created strong emotional attachments to, but never got as far as infecting anyone. It was these objects that had proven the hardest to hunt down. Rarely did they need to use their ultimate powers, so they began to enjoy their time together, just talking.

"I'm guessing you got the same news I did." Ladybug stated.

"Somewhere, deep down, I knew…..I just didn't want to believe it would all come to an end." Chat's tone was somber. No jokes in his bag tonight.

"I know, but really, we were only called on because of the danger brought by Papillion." She sighed. "It would be kind of selfish to hope for trouble just to drag this out." She turned her head to look up at Chat, and he brought his gaze to meet her own. "Besides, what would we even do? Eventually, we have to grow up and have real jobs and real lives. It would be kind of hard explaining being absent from work so much. I'm pretty sure the city wouldn't take too kindly to us suddenly asking for a paycheck."

"I guess you're right." His shoulders sagged. "I don't suppose there's any chance of finding out who you are?"

Ladybug's brow furrowed. She took in his sad posture and the longing in his eyes.

"I think it's best we stay Ladybug and Chat Noir." She looked away from him as she stated her thoughts. "If it hadn't been for this, we never would have met. We should just keep our lives moving forward as if that were the case. Don't mess with fate."

"That's where I think you're wrong, My Lady." Chat removed his hand from her shoulder and moved it to her chin. He gently pulled her gaze back in his direction. The look he gave her was full of so many emotions that it was hard to pin down a single one.

"I know for a fact that my life was changed by meeting you. Just the opportunity to be your Chat has changed who I am, even without the mask. It has given me a freedom I would have only otherwise imagined. This entire experience has been a gift and I intend to take advantage of all that it has given me." He let go of her face, but not her gaze. "Are you telling me there is nothing you would take from this? Would you rather forget all that we have been through? Forget me?"

His words stung. She had never thought he would have felt this strongly about it all. When Tikki told her that she and Chat's powers would disappear soon after the last Akuma was found. She didn't quite understand what it all really meant. She just assumed that no danger meant no heroes. She knew that she would miss her Chat, but did not think there was much to do about it all.

"The powers go dormant, Chat." She wished she could be as passionate about it as him, but maybe she was just experiencing so many emotions they all came out as an overwhelming flatness. "We could be called on again, we may never be. Someone out there may want to hurt us for the Miraculouses. As long as we don't know who we are, we can keep each other and the world safe. As far as what I'm taking from it, maybe I'll finally move forward with my own personal life."

"What do you mean by that?" He prodded gently.

"I don't know about you, but between maintaining my identity and fighting crime I haven't had much of a chance at a social life. I know most people would kill to be a superhero, but I missed out on the chance of just being a girl." She pulled away from him. "You're great to spend time with, but we can't just walk down the street together or go to a movie without attracting some major attention." She wrapped her arms around herself as she spoke.

"Those just sound like excuses, My Lady." Chat made no move to get closer, giving her the room that she needed. "Is there someone in particular that you had imagined yourself doing this with?"

"I don't know if I should say anything, it would bring you too close to my real life." She said.

"You act as if I know everyone in the city. I promise you my interactions with people are pretty controlled. There are many people I've never met. Let's call it a parting gift." He sat down and patted the roof tile next to him. She took the invitation.

"It shouldn't be too bad, it's kind of silly actually." She drew her knees to her chest, so that she could rest her chin on them. "Every girl in Paris has a crush on him. So, my chances are pretty low in general. He has no clue I even exist."

"That's still pretty vague. Pretend I'm thick." Chat punched his head and let a smile reach his lips. If this was the last he would see of her, he wanted all he could get.

"Adrien….." She sighed. "Adrien Agreste. I'm just so shy, there's no way I could just go up and ask him. Plus, he's a model. I'm sure he's too busy to even consider doing anything with someone like me."

Chat's ears perked forward at the sound of his alter ego's name. It took everything in him to not leap and reveal himself right then and there.

"If he's as great as you think he is, he'll make time." Chat responded. "You defeated countless magical enemies. I think you can handle any boy. Don't sell yourself short."

"I just don't know." Ladybug began starring into space.

"Do it for me." Chat stood up. "That can be what you take from all of this. Take the courage you've developed while being Ladybug and use it to talk to this guy. Take the time to just be the girl that this has kept you from being."

"I didn't mean it like that, Chat." She stood to meet him and he placed a finger on her lips.

"And when you've had the chance to be that girl, maybe, one day, you'll find me." Chat quickly planted a kiss on her lips and jumped away. Ladybug was left alone on a roof in the dark night.

"Stupid cat." She muttered. "I never got the chance to say goodbye." Ladybug made her way home to shed her persona for possibly the last time.

"This is so hard, Plagg." Adrien groaned. "I'm full of so many emotions right now, I can't think straight."

"Why didn't you tell her goodbye?" Plagg was sitting on a large pile of camembert, snacking lazily. "It's not like you can give her a big cheese send off." Adrien and Plagg had said their peace to each other before heading out that night, and Adrien had given him the multiple rounds of cheese as a last hurrah.

"She likes Adrien, me!" He tapped his chest. "Now, I just have to figure out who she is." He began pacing the floor.

"Even she said that every girl in the city has a crush on you. That really narrows things down." The statement was punctuated with a burp.

"Her first reaction was that it would be too personal. Then, she said I don't notice her, which would mean she's in an area to be noticed." Adrien pounded his fist into his open palm.

"Look who's suddenly insightful." Plagg mumble through a bite of cheese.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrien countered.

"If you'd have given it this much thought in the past, you would have figured it out by now." Plagg swallowed the last bit of cheese. "I like you, so I'll tell you one little secret. We Kwami can sense each other. I can't place it exactly, but I can tell you that I sensed Tikki at your school. Good luck, kid." With that, Plagg disappeared.

"Tikki, will I ever see you again?" Marinette asked while hugging the small red creature to her chest.

"Even if you never see me, I'll always be with you." She floated from the girl's grip and lightly touched the earrings in her ears. "The magic needs time to recharge, and can only be active in times of need. If it happens again in your lifetime, you will be able to resume the veil of Ladybug."

"I just wish there were another way." A tear slipped past Marinette's eye.

"You said it yourself, this can't go on forever, and you need a chance to be a normal girl. A chance to grow-up, a chance to find yourself, a chance to just be. All without me or Ladybug." Tikki wiped the errant tear away. "You're going to live a long time, Marinette. You're going to have more happiness and loss than you could ever imagine. Even if it starts with me." Tikki gave Marinette's cheek a squeeze. In a breath Tikki was gone, her last words hanging in the air. "Goodbye Marinette."

It was a new day, a new week, and a new life. Adrien knew he should be over the moon about all he had learned the night before, but the silence when he woke up this morning, the lack of playful banter, the distinct smell of camembert not wafting in through the air. It all hit him like a ton of bricks. Not only had he lost the best friend last night, he had also lost a part of himself. The only thing that was even preventing him from crawling back into bed was the thought that Ladybug, whomever she was, would be looking for him. Still, the absence of the little black Kwami hung over him like a dark storm cloud. He looked down at the ring that he still wore.

He made his way slowly to the car, and was silent the whole ride to school. Nobody seemed to notice that he had skipped breakfast. Nathalie rattled off his schedule for the day, reminding him of all his obligations. He suddenly felt like he had been placed back in his cage. A life dictated by schedules and events that he had no say over. Only now, he didn't have his other persona to assist in an escape. Plagg had given him one last final gift goodbye. The knowledge that his mystery lady could be someone that he already knew. Even then, he had to wait for her to approach him. If she was as genuinely shy as she stated, that might be very hard.

When he stepped out of the car, he looked around the entrance to the school. Students were streaming in from all directions. He tried to see if he could match any of them to his lovely lady, but his heart wasn't fully in it. He decided to head into the classroom, so he could sit alone and think until everyone else decided to file in.

The room was still dark when he walked in and sat down. He let his bag fall next to his feet as he just placed his head on the desk. He stared listlessly at the wood grains, so close to his face. He felt the cool wood against his forehead. For the moment he wanted to feel anything outside of the overwhelming sadness.

His self-contemplation was broken when he heard the sound of soft sobbing. He looked up to see someone walk through the door. He had caught their attention as well because the sobbing came to an abrupt halt.

"Oh….A.a.. ." She stuttered while trying to stifle the flow of tears. It was Marinette. In the dim light, he could tell that her eyes were rimmed red and held the bags of a sleepless night. "I'm sorry…..I didn't think anyone would be here, yet."

Seeing the sadness in her face, reminded him of last night. He asked himself a question similar to what he had asked Ladybug. What are you going to take from being Chat Noir?

"You look about as bad as I feel….wait that came out wrong." Adrien nervously scratched the back of his head. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

Marinette glanced nervously around the classroom and whispered lowly.

"I lost someone really close to me last night, I'm not really handling it well."

"What are you doing here?" Adrien stood up with concern in his eyes. "You should be at home dealing with it." In the back of his head, he was wishing he could take his own advice.

"Everything at home reminds me of her." Marinette sniffled, "And I can't talk to anyone about it, not even Alya."

"Believe it or not, I can understand where you're coming from." He replied softly. "It's why I'm here in the dark. I was hoping to get over it before class started."

"The one day I'm early…" She let the statement just sit.

An idea popped into Adrien's head, a very Chat-like idea.

"Hey, Marinette." He picked up his bag took a few steps toward her. "I know you've been late to school, a lot, but have you ever just skipped?"

"Skipped? Why would I?" She looked at him quizzically.

"It seems like we've both had a rough couple of days, and I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd be able to pay much attention today."

"I don't know…" She was distracted enough to stop sniffling.

"If you change your mind, we can always come back." He offered her a free hand and did his best to smile. She took it tentatively.

"Okay."

With that, they snuck out of a back entrance and into the city itself.

They made their way to a nearby park and sat under a shady tree. Adrien let go of Marinette's hand and fell back into the grass, staring up at the sky. She was sitting in an almost catatonic state, on the verge of blushing or crying, but she couldn't quite decide which. They both just sat there in an almost comfortable silence.

"I do have an idea what you are going through." Adrien spoke softly. "You lose someone close to you. It's like the just go 'poof' and you never see them again, but when they left it feels like they took a big part of who you are with them." He moved his hands along with what he was saying to emphasize his point. He wasn't looking at Marinette when he spoke just sort of talking to the sky.

She looked in his direction with wide eyes. Trying to understand how he knew exactly what he was going through. It dawned on her.

"Your Mom…." She let the statement hang.

This had felt similar to when she disappeared. Never knowing when or if she was going to come back. His father, completely void of emotion. Nothing ever seeming quite right in his world.

"Yeah," He admitted. "I never really had anyone to talk to about it. We just didn't mention it at home, and I was still being homeschooled. I had a chance to talk to a doctor, but it's not the same as talking about it with a friend."

Marinette smile a little at him. She stood up and stepped over his legs so that she could flop down on the ground next to him. Both of them just staring at the sky.

"Have you ever just stared at the clouds?" She asked. "I've haven't done it in years. I guess I kind of took for granted that they were there. Just assumed that they always would be, could just look at them whenever I wanted. Then, I just never looked at them. Life got in the way, a million different things. Since you can never look at the same sky twice, it makes me wonder how many skies I've already missed."

"I'm not sure if that's really deep, or confusing." Adrien said.

"I think that's life." Marinette countered back. "Deep and confusing."

The pair lay in the grass and started pointing out shapes in the clouds. They had fallen into an easy conversation. Adrien noticed this was really the most time he'd ever spent with her outside a school-related function.

"How is it, you can't put together a full sentence in front of me, but today we can have such a meaningful conversation? Like we've known each other our whole lives." He asked.

"I think the fact that neither of us are looking at each other helps." She replied. "Plus, I think the emotional exhaustion has reached my brain."

"Well, do you want to head back to school?" He asked.

"Do you mind if we just walk around the city?" She responded. "I know someone is going to notice us missing sooner or later. We can just sneak back after the lunch break. Less noticeable that we came back together."

"Sounds like a plan." He nodded, then sat up so he could look down at her face. "Thanks Marinette, I really needed this today."

She started to blush at the site of his green eyes and photogenic smile.

"It was your idea." She squeaked out.

"Yeah, but you helped me feel less alone." He stood up and offered his hand to help her stand. "Let's take that walk around the city."

It had been a few weeks since Plagg had disappeared. Adrien had fallen back into the routine of his daily life. Occasionally, a Chat-like thought would enter his brain, and he would skip a fencing practice or some other horrible activity. Just to feel like he had some control over what was going on in his life.

He was also still on the hunt for his lady. He was able to rule out a few people based on who he'd seen be around at the same time as her, in the past. He had a few candidates, but his investigating was often sidetracked by the girl that sat behind him.

After their morning adventure, it wasn't like things had completely changed between them, but Adrien was noticing more about her. How the sadness never truly left her eyes. How she would start staring out a window and suddenly be in another world. He only noticed because he was sure he was exhibiting some of the same behaviors himself.

He wasn't doing badly in school, but the quality of his work had started to suffer. He was showing less enthusiasm in his daily activities. Enough so that it had been asked if he needed to go to the doctor. He was able to pass it off as just being a normal moody teenager.

Nino had tried for a while to get him to talk about what was wrong, but in the end gave up to give his friend some space. He honestly did not feel like doing more than drifting for a while. Which was how he was spending his day in bed when there was a knock on his door. Nathalie stuck her head inside.

"I know your father is not one to allow guests in, but you have a visitor." She opened the door to expose Marinette standing nervously in the doorway, holding a flat blue box to her chest. Her eyes were wide, as she stepped tentatively in the room.

"I'm going to leave the door open." Nathalie said. "But I'll also give you your privacy." She stepped away, leaving Marinette looking like a frightened mouse. Adrien walked over to greet his guest.

"Hey, what brings you here?" He asked.

"Well," She looked down as she spoke. "I never properly thanked you for helping me out that day, and here." She shoved the box she was clutching at Adrien, still not looking him in the face. The fact that she was still this shy had really caught him off guard. He walked it over to his desk to open it while she distracted herself by looking around the room.

Inside the box was a knit cap, it was made of the same fabric as the scarf his father had given him on his birthday, it was one of the most precious gifts he had. She must have been very observant to be able to find exactly what was needed to make it. He was about to thank her when he hear her gasp.

"You kept it!" He turned to see her staring at the framed valentine's card that sat on his shelf. She was staring hard at it, then slapped her forehead. "I really did forget to sign it!"

"You sent it?" Adrien walked over to her. He had been certain Ladybug had sent him that card. It was why he cherished it above all else.

"Yes," she shrugged sheepishly. "I found your poem in the trash, and kind of thought it had been to me. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me."

"Actually," He picked up the frame and removed the backing. "Would you do me the honor of officially signing it?"

"Sure." She said. He grinned a grabbed a pen. She tentatively took it and the card from his hand.

"Thanks for the hat. It matches my favorite scarf."

"You're welcome." She smiled, and handed back the signed card.

"I know the perfect place for this." He reframed the card and sat it up next to the Jagged Stone album she had signed for him. "If I weren't allergic to it, I'd put the hat you'd made out here too. Have my own little Marinette collection." He smiled as he said it. "Maybe you should start one of me."

Marinette stood stark still. If only he knew that everything in her room was plastered in his image, or that she had his calendar memorized. It had taken her awhile to get up the nerve to come to his house alone, but he had looked so sad recently. She thought that maybe their talk had stirred up some memories of his mother that he had not had the chance to deal with. Even with what she was going through, missing Tikki, missing Chat, she did not want him to suffer because of something she did.

"I really should be going." She piped up. "I really just wanted to bring you the hat, and make sure you were ok. I now you've been kind of down and I just feel better when you're happy."

"Thanks, Marinette. It's just what I needed." He said and led her to the front door.

After Adrien had walked Marinette out, he walked into his room and lifted the framed card up to look at it. In recent weeks, he had taken up talking to his ring, not really sure if the Kwami inside could actually hear him.

"Well, Plagg, that's one of the great mysteries solved." He sat and stared at the pink heart in the frame as he often had. "She thought I was talking about her…"

It had been eating at him for days. How was he just noticing the physical similarities between Marinette and Ladybug? He wasn't definitively sure, but it would have made the most sense. She had mentioned she was shy, but she really thought that she wasn't good enough for him?

He honestly felt stupid. He had spent so long besotted by the beautiful hero that no one really popped up on his radar. He hadn't made such a big deal about finding out who she was because he wanted to respect her wishes. He was only even trying now because she had mentioned him by name. Deep inside, he just wanted to go up to her and ask out right, but he had promised he'd wait on her.

She hadn't made a move, yet. He could be wrong and end up scaring the real Ladybug away if he was pursuing the wrong girl. He rubbed his head in frustration. How was he going to fix this?

What was it Ladybug had said she wanted? The chance to just be a normal girl. Normal girls had friends. Trying to be friends with Marinette could be safe. He knew exactly who to call about that.

Alya was lying across her bed when the phone rang. Adrien's number scrolled across the screen.

"Hello, Adrien." She answered.

"Hey, Alya." He replied. "I have something to ask you about."

"Go on…." She nudged.

"Have you noticed how sad Marinette's been lately?" He asked.

"I'm her best friend, of course I've noticed." She replied. "How on earth have you noticed is the bigger question. You've been so wrapped up in yourself that you're not even talking to Nino."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Sorry about that. I've been going through some stuff."

"All is forgiven if you just talk to Nino, he's really worried about you." She chided. "Which brings us back to the big question. Why are you calling me about Marinette?"

"It's kind of related to the stuff I've been going through, she kind of told me what's been wrong with her, and it reminded me of some similar issues I've had." He took in a deep breath, "Anyway. I was wondering if there was anyway Marinette might want to hang out, as friends."

"Mmmmmhhhmm." Alya hummed into the phone. "Lately, she's been pretty reclusive. Outside of school, she just spends time in her room. If you want to hang out with her more, you should try visiting her at home."

"Does she still like Mecha Strike?" He asked hopefully into the phone.

"Last time I checked, but she hasn't been the most open book with me, lately."

"Maybe I can talk to her about that." He suggested.

"Good luck." Her line beeped. "Gotta go, Nino's calling."

"Thanks, Alya."

Adrien stood just outside of the bakery. Why was he so nervous? Sure, he tried recalling a battle where he had seen both Marinette and Ladybug at the same time. Couldn't come up with one. He even checked the LadyBlog. Nada, zilch, nothing.

The door to the shop opened and Tom's large form popped out.

"You've been pacing out here for a while. It's starting to make me dizzy just looking at you."

"Sorry." Adrien held up a box. "I just got my hands on the new Mecha Strike 5 Beta Test version, and I know how much Marinette enjoys playing…"

"Come on in." Tom held the door open, and Adrien entered.

"Why hello, Adrien." Sabine greeted him as the door shut. "How have you been?"

"Fine, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." He answered politely. "I just stopped by to see if Marinette might want to play a video game."

Tom and Sabine exchanged a look.

"You can try." Tom answered.

"She's been a bit distant lately." Sabine supplied. "It'd be nice to see her do something besides sit in her room all day."

Tom led Adrien upstairs to Marinette's room. The larger man knocked softly.

"Marinette, you have a visitor." He said as he lifted open the door.

"I already told Alya that I'm not up for hanging out." Marinette was lying in her bed, her back to the entrance of the room.

"Sorry, but I'm not Alya." Adrien said. He saw her visibly stiffen. He looked around the room. "You know, I was only kidding when I suggested you start a collection of me, glad you took it to heart."

Marinette sat up ramrod straight in her bed.

"I'm going to leave you two alone." Tom backed out of the room and back down the ladder.

"You came to cheer me up," Adrien started. "So, I'm here to do the same for you. Alya said you haven't really been yourself lately."

"It's hard to be yourself when you don't even know who you are." Marinette stated.

"I know the feeling." Adrien agreed. "If my memory serves, you still like Mecha Strike, right?" He held up the box. Marinette looked at it and jumped up and looked at the box.

"Five? I thought this was still in development!" She exclaimed.

"Beta, actually." Adrien said. "I thought you'd be more suited to test this out than I am."

"Thank you!" It was the brightest he'd seen her in a long time.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Only if you don't mind me winning!" She grinned.

She loaded the game on her PC, and they played for hours. It wasn't until Tom and Sabine popped up to let them know that it was time for dinner that they had realized the entire day had passed.

Adrien joined them for dinner, but had to head home afterwards. He really enjoyed the time he spent, and even felt his own spirits lifting. Marinette walked him to the door as he was leaving.

"Oh! You forgot your game upstairs!" She turned to head back when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Keep it!" He smiled at her. "But only if I can come over to play again sometime."

Marinette was about to open the door for him to leave when she stopped.

"Adrien. Thank you. I really needed a day like today."

"It was a distinct honor and pleasure." He grinned at her. She began to fidget.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." She looked up into his green eyes, and he stayed trained on her blue ones. "Would you like to get a coffee or something sometime? Just you and me?"

A smile crept across his face. He reached out for her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it gently.

"So glad you finally asked….My Lady."