I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and I am not associated with them in any way. I am just as disappointed as the rest of you that the release date has been pushed back again.

A/N: Don't do it, don't you dare, you've got enough WIPs—(Big, fluffy sigh.) Okay, I give up. I really do want to post this and I've been writing it since July. I recently got separated from my computer and realized I missed reading it over and over again. I keep coming back to it when I'm supposed to be working on Issues, so I'm hoping this gives me the motivation to just finish it and get it out of my system.

Yes, as the title suggests, this is associated with After the Battle, but you don't need to read that one first to figure out what's going on here. (In fact, if you haven't read that one already, don't! It'll spoil how this one turns out!) I'm not going to link it to After the Battle, because I intentionally wrote that one vague enough so that the reader can interpret how much they think Marinette and Chat know, however they want. This is going to go into a bit more… detail.

Actually, a lot more detail, so innocents please make yourselves scarce right now.

As stated before, I wrote this before the second season came out, back when everyone was sure the kids were 15 when they got their Miraculouses. Since we now have more definitive ages, I've updated this fic and I may go back and do After the Battle too, because I've got to give Chat time to properly come into his body, and guys usually mature later.

Written under the prompt: "What if there was a magical reason they couldn't know each other's identities?"

This is rated for imagery, language, and adult situations. You have been warned.

After the Battle – The Beginning of the End

Chapter 1: Exposition

Marinette tried desperately to control her breathing, to rake in her sobs as she clutched her pillow and rocked on her bed. She couldn't help it. So close. SO CLOSE.

So much blood had been pouring out of her partner as he hung there, still and unresponsive. He hadn't moved as she'd screamed at him. Hadn't come to try and help her as she desperately tried to defeat the akuma, half-blinded by tears. She had screamed and shrieked, and probably hit the tree-based monster a few more times than she'd really needed to in order to get the akuma out. When she'd finally thrown her Lucky Charm up and called for the Cure, she'd been half-expecting Chat Noir to simply disappear too. So, when she'd turned to see him grinning at her, his hair hanging limply around his face and weakly holding his fist up for their usual bump, she'd been nearly limp with relief. She could've kissed him.

"YOU STUPID CAT!" she'd shrieked at him instead, ignoring the surprised look on his face and the helicopters circling around them, recording everything.

"Um, my lady, can we do this—"

"YOU COULD'VE JUST TOLD ME TO DODGE! OR PUSHED ME OUT OF THE WAY!"

Then Chat had looked irritated. "Well, sorry if I had to think quickly—"

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE THAT HIT!"

"BETTER ME THAN YOU!" he'd finally yelled back. His hands had moved like they wanted to grab her, and he visibly held himself back. "Look, we both know—"

"YOU COULD'VE DIED!" she'd screamed.

"Yeah, and what do you care?" he'd snapped back, his hair whipping around his face. She'd choked on the rest of her words as she stared at the look of loathing he'd shot at her. Wha—? How could—? Why—?

"Chat?" she'd finally choked out. He'd turned away from her.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

And then he was gone. She'd finally noticed the helicopters, and had quickly fled as well before the public got a good picture of the tears streaking down her face.

She'd come home and buried her face in her pillows, sobbing as Tikki tried to comfort her. The Miraculous Cure fixed everything, except her memory of the way that branch had gone straight through his armor… the way he'd screamed before choking and coughing up blood—she wailed again and buried her face deeper in her pillow.

"You said it was impenetrable, Tikki!" she cried. "You said nothing could pierce our armor!"

"Nothing but magic," Tikki softly reminded her. "Which is what the akuma had."

Marinette muffled another long, frustrated scream in her pillow.

"You've both been hit by an akuma's magic before," Tikki said. "Just never like that, that badly, before today."

It was true. They'd both been hit before. Hurt, before her Miraculous Cure could wash it all away. And every time, her heart broke a bit more. Especially since Chat had taken it upon himself to be her personal meat shield. How many times had people criticized her for allowing him to hurt himself for her? Even if everything turned out all right in the end, there was always the chance that it wouldn't. She'd explained his sacrifices away as necessary; she was the only one who could call on the Cure, but… it didn't stop the hurt every time she had to watch him die. And now—to think that he thought she didn't care….

"I can't-I can't do this anymore, Tikki," Marinette whimpered. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"If Ladybug disappears, Chat Noir will have to fight alone," Tikki reminded her. "And he has no way to purify the akumas on his own. You won't be doing him any favors by giving up now."

"I can't—I'm not strong enough! I can't go through that again!" She was blubbering and she knew it, but she couldn't help herself. "I feel like such a failure!"

"You are an excellent Ladybug, Marinette," Tikki said firmly. "And you've been doing this for years. Somehow you've always made it work."

"During the battle, yeah! But it doesn't erase the memories," Marinette protested.

"The memories help you both grow stronger. Wiser."

"He had to feel himself die today, Tikki!" she yelled at her kwami. "How is that-!" She burst into broken sniffles. "I can't—can't imagine what he's going through right now. And I can't even help! He's my partner!" she shouted. "I should be helping him deal with this! And I can't!" She moaned. "I can't even comfort him…."

She lay back on her bed, covering her face as her body was wracked with sobs again.

"And he hates me," she whimpered, thinking of the anger in those green eyes. "He thinks I don't care at all."

"Oh, Marinette, I'm sure that's not the case," Tikki said, swooping down to pat her reassuringly. "You were both high on emotions, that's all. Chat Noir loves you. He always has."

"That's the problem," Marinette looked away as her stomach lurched. Chat had claimed to love her for years now, ever since they had first started this whole thing. It had been easily to play off in the early years, when they were still young and stupid, making it into a teasing game between them… but his resolve hadn't wavered since then. Not even with some of his more ardent fans throwing themselves at him (which made them both glad to have secret identities to escape to). As the years went by and he'd continued to declare himself only for her, she'd claimed it was nothing more than puppy love, and even told him once to get a girlfriend on live TV, so he could discover what real love was like. He'd laughed and shaken his head at her, saying he couldn't do that when his heart was already taken, but at least he'd backed off the flirting later. A bit.

And now that they were older, she had to admit, she'd taken to noticing just how attractive her partner really was. Once she realized how she was reacting to him, she'd immediately started to keep their encounters short and to the point, transforming only to come in and save the day (and the occasional Ladyblog update for Alya) or to do their usual patrols. He was already sweet, and well-mannered, and so much fun to be around; not to mention she was certain that if she ever needed help, he would be the first to offer. She didn't dare stay any longer than she had to with him; any long, heart-wrenching conversations would've made her fall for him so much sooner.

And that was the last thing she needed!

She didn't need any extra time to see how his muscles had filled out, or how his body now moved with a fluid grace that had his fans swooning, even if he didn't wink at them with his glowing eyes. Which he did, of course. All the time. Or he raked his claws through his long hair, just daring them to touch it. To play with him. More than one girl had had to be treated for fainting on the spot. Not that she was jealous! But it was hard to concentrate when he—

Nope, not gonna think about that.

He was still her silly kitty. He still played jokes, and made bad puns, and acted like a fool whenever he thought he could get away with it. And many times when he knew he couldn't get away with it. The pranks, the trick presents, that one time he'd crashed Gabriel Agreste's showcase and had the nerve to walk the catwalk, blowing kisses to the crowd, just because that awful man had caused not one, not two, but three akumas that week while trying to get his company ready for the show… God, that had been hilarious, even if she'd had to apologize to everyone for him later. Or the first time he'd tried to pull his long hair up into a pony tail, and it'd looked awful. And he'd just sat there and joked with everyone about it for a while, calling it a "cattail! They were supposed to be fluffy!" before finally pulling it out and winking at the camera, saying he preferred it to be wild and untamed.

The press loved him.

The public loved him.

She loved him.

Oh God, she loved him.

And there it was. She groaned. She'd been denying it for so long, but she did. She loved his jokes. The way he kissed her hand. The way he'd challenge her to a race or a duel, "winner treats the other one to a date!" "Not a chance, you silly cat!" His smirks and smiles and winks and lame attempts to get her to kiss him at random opportunities… They made being Ladybug fun. Bearable.

But lately, they'd made her heart tighten. Because, if it were real…. To think that… if to him, it hadn't been a game. If he'd really been longing for her all these years. If he'd truly loved her, as deeply as she'd ever loved Adrien…. And maybe more. Because she hadn't even seen Adrien in over a year. His father had pulled him back out of school once the akuma attacks had started getting more dangerous. She'd never really confessed herself to him. They'd talked, and hung out, and there had been that one disastrous double-date that Alya and Nino had talked them into, but nothing else. Her schoolgirl crush had become quite the looker himself, and was apparently set to start roaming the world as a famous supermodel soon, since he was eighteen now, but that was it. Her only contact with Adrien was the news, magazines, and papers she still bought regularly (though admittedly more for the fashion ideas nowadays). Chat Noir, she saw every day, prowling by her side.

It was getting damn distracting. So distracting, she was almost certain it was the reason she hadn't seen that attack coming until it was too late. And if she dared to admit her feelings to Chat… it would only get worse. She would be distracted. He would be distracted. She would completely fail at her job. She might even lose her partner permanently. And all the power and freedom that came with being Ladybug couldn't compare to the heartache she would suffer if that ever happened.

So, no.

She took a deep breath, trying again to push any hopeful thoughts out of her head. In the end, it did not matter. Chat Noir and Ladybug couldn't be together. Not only would it be unprofessional, the simple fact was, the suits didn't come off. She blushed as that thought occurred to her and she quickly covered her face with her pillow again.

No. The suits didn't come off. The masks couldn't come off. Well, they could. But only if they revealed themselves—NO!

No one must know. No one must know. She chanted the mantra in her head. Not even them. Especially not them.

They'd both been captured by the enemy before. It hadn't lasted long, obviously, but the idea that they could be further used against each other… now that was terrifying. Not to mention the danger they'd put their family and friends in. Revealing themselves was not an option.

And besides, Tikki had said if they ever revealed themselves, the magic that powered their transformation would start to fade. Soon, she wouldn't even be able to turn into Ladybug. Especially if Chat was the one who found out her identity. It was somehow related to the way the magic worked; something about balance.

Tikki refused to explain further, saying that it was how Marinette would know when she was ready to give up being Ladybug. If she wanted someone to know who she was, more than she wanted to maintain Ladybug's magic, it was time. But losing Ladybug's magic could not happen. Not ever. Not being able to Cure everything? Especially with all the damage that was done to the city on a regular basis? Nope, nope, nope. She'd sooner give up the earrings entirely. So….

No one must know. No one must know.

She repeated it to herself religiously, hating it more every time. How many times had she wanted to tell Alya? Her parents? Anyone? How much easier would it be to bear, knowing she had someone to talk about it later? Someone to rant with when the news reporters gave a critique, making her look and sound so damn stupid with whatever she'd done that day. Someone to hold her when—like today—things went incredibly wrong….

God. What must Chat be feeling right now?

Her stomach heaved at the thought of her partner, alone with his kwami and the dark, blood-infused memories of a giant tree-branch sticking out of his own chest—

"I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE, TIKKI!" she screamed, finally breaking. "Please, I have to talk to him! To let him know that I'm here for him! That I do care! Please!"

"Well, then, transform," Tikki said simply, cocking her head as she tried to understand the problem.

"But what if he's not transformed?" Marinette cried. "I'll never get through to him! And why would he transform right now? I wouldn't want to, after everything that happened to him today! And geez, after what happened today, I wouldn't be surprised if he avoids me tomorrow too! And then, by the time he wants to talk, he'll just brush it off like it's nothing! And it's not nothing!"

"Marinette," Tikki said slowly. "What are you saying?"

"I want to help him," Marinette said firmly, finally feeling like she was doing something right for the first time. "From now on, I want to be able to contact him out of the mask too."

"Out of the question," Tikki said, shaking her head. "Marinette, you know the rule—"

"I know, I know. No one must know," she recited dutifully. "And I know why, Tikki. But I think it's getting ridiculous. What if he wants to talk to me about something and I don't happen to be transformed? What if, God forbid, something permanent does happen to one of us?" She shuddered. "I wouldn't even be able to contact his family and tell them."

"People go missing all the time, Marinette," Tikki said quietly.

She raised her head to glare at her kwami. "That doesn't make it right, Tikki!" Damn, she'd been hoping for some reassurance from her kwami. A failsafe; maybe a way to get her body back to her family without them knowing who she'd been, if the worst ever did happen. But no, nothing like that.

Just another missing person. An unsolved mystery.

And Chat… he kept…. Marinette sucked in her breath shakily, feeling the tears start up again.

"If something happened to me, I'd want him to be able to tell my family," she said, gulping. "To give them all closure, at least. I'm sure he feels the same. I want to be there for him if something happens to him. Like today. I should be with him right now, telling him everything's okay… and letting him know how much I care. He needs someone. Someone who understands a little of what he has to go through."

If she couldn't even give his family closure, maybe…

Would it be too much to ask to give him some small comforts while he was still here? During the time she'd spent with him, he'd hinted that he was very lonely at home….

"Marinette—"

"Tikki, I'm going to tell him," she said, before her kwami could say anything else. Her mind was made up. "If it means you need to find another Ladybug, so be it. You can find someone better than me. If I don't have the earrings anymore, my friends and family won't be in danger, even if he lets it slip. Which I doubt he will…. And I can act as a support person for whoever is Chosen next, right? They don't have to tell me who they are, they just have to know that they're safe here. A safe house. And someone who understands what it's like. Yes. This will work. I've been getting too distracted these days anyway."

"Wait, you—you're sure?" Tikki asked, looking surprised. "You want to give up the earrings in order to help Chat Noir?"

"Yes," Marinette said decisively. "I can't stand the thought of just leaving him like this again. And I can't let my own problems get in the way of being Ladybug. Plus, I have to start thinking about university and all that. What better time to make even more changes? Yes. This will all work out for the best. I— I will miss you, though," she admitted, drawing the kwami closer. Tikki gave her cheek a hug.

"I'll miss you too, Marinette," she said, her eyes shining. "No matter what anybody says, you are one of the best Ladybugs I've ever had."

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette said, feeling warmer and calmer now that she had a firm plan. "I guess we'll see how Chat feels. If he doesn't tell me who he is, he can still be Chat Noir, right? That's his decision." Tikki nodded. Marinette let out a breath. She didn't know why, but part of her had believed they were kind of a packaged deal or something. At least she knew she wasn't dooming her partner into giving up his Miraculous too. He loved the superhero life. "And I can be here for him as Marinette. Heroes can always use more support. But I can't let it go on like this anymore. I just can't do it."

"So, you're really willing to give up everything for him?" Tikki asked quietly. Marinette nodded firmly.

"Yes," she said. "I should've done this a long time ago."

Time to give up the mask.

End Chapter 1.

A/N: Yes, I know that wasn't what y'all expected, but every time I write a sequel I feel like I have to add elements in there to make sure it's not the same old story over and over again. This is what you get when you demand sequels from me, fam. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Cocking your head sideways? Cautiously excited? Comments are always loved.

Like seriously. There is a buttload of exposition in this, and I want to make sure it's not too confusing. Please tell me if you're lost somewhere.