Until Next Time, M'lady

By SparkieBunnie

Walking in the halls in school, Adrien hums as he goes to find Marinette. She should be by her locker. Sure enough, she's there with Alya, and seems to be upset over something.

"Hey, Mari, my dad loved the designs I showed him." He tries to not scare her, but she jumps anyway. "Something wrong?"

She nods. "Chat Noir's gone…"

Adrien's expression changes. "I thought he was Ladybug's partner though? How can he just be gone?"

Marinette blushes faintly. "Two nights ago, he came to talk to me…and told me he couldn't be a superhero anymore…that he was forced to pass on the powers or something."

Alya nods and pats her shoulder. "It's a bummer for sure, but every hero has a part to play. Once their part is done, they know they have to move aside and pass the torch. It's kind of poetic." Then she winks. "Besides, you got selfies with him!"

Adrien laughs. "No way, really? Selfies?"

Marinette blushes even deeper. Alya nudges Adrien. "You got some competition! Chat put the moves on your girl!"

She snatches Marinette's phone away and starts showing the pictures to Adrien, who isn't the least bit offended by them. If anything, they only cause his heart to race and ache slightly, though not for jealousy. Sort of like the odd selfie he has in his own phone, of himself holding up camembert cheese for some strange reason. That picture, along with Marinette's romantic Chat Noir ones, leave a hint of nostalgia behind in Adrien.

"I-I promise it was just for the pictures, a-and that never once was I serious about the kissing, Adrien!"

The blond chuckles and kisses Marinette on the forehead. "Next time we kiss, M'lady, you won't even be able to compare it to that night with him."

She stares up at him after he steps back. "…M'lady?"

He tilts his head. "Well, yeah, something wrong with that nickname?"

"N-no…"

Adrien laughs and takes her hand, and it's only at that moment Marinette realizes his silver ring is missing. So she was right about it…

The next day, Saturday, Adrien climbs up into Marinette's room with something hidden away in the pocket of his outer-shirt. "I already asked your parents and they said it was fine. Ready?"

He's trying to cheer her up, since she's been so down about the Chat Noir thing. From inside his pocket he pulls out a little black kitten wearing a green ribbon. "See? So now you can have Chaton Noir!"

She beams initially and snuggles the kitten close against her chest, an excited "Aww!" escaping her as she teases the kitten's mouth with her finger. He mews at her and bats at her finger playfully. "Chaton Noir…actually I want to name him Minou…or Vanilla…"

"Those are cute names, but where'd they come from?"

"Minou—Kitty—is what I used to say around him a lot. When he'd save me and help me during villains' rampages."

"And Vanilla? Is that because I've told you that you smell like vanilla?" he asks, smiling more.

"Sort of. It's weird to be saying this now, but on that last night, Chat Noir said the same thing as you…vanilla."

Then, as she finishes her words, she suddenly bursts into tears.

"H-hey, Mari, what's wrong?" Did she hate cats or something? Oh no, was she allergic?

"I just realized how dumb I've been this whole time!" She stares directly at Adrien, tears falling. "And now I'm too late!"

"Too late for what?" He strokes Minou-Vanilla's ears as he locks eyes with Marinette. He's worried now.

"I know who he was now…Chat Noir…" She hugs Minou-Vanilla closer. "And I'll never get to thank him for everything." Her voice is strained, so heartbreakingly remorseful.

Setting the now dozing kitten on her pillow, she buries her face in her hands. Adrien comes over and sits next to her, placing a hand on her hair and pressing her head against his heart.

"Marinette, I'm sure he knows how much you cared about him."

She manages to finds her voice again. "That's just it though, Adrien. He doesn't know! He's forgotten about his powers and everything!"

He kisses her forehead, nuzzling the same spot. "There's no way he could forget you, Mari."

"He has though…he forgot about Ladybug too." She takes her head away from him and lies on her side, slightly curled, her head resting just under the pillow where her kitten is napping.

He lies down facing her and attempts a comforting smile. "What makes you think that?" His right hand rubs her shoulder and upper arm. He scoots closer and kisses her softly.

"Because…like I said, he's forgotten who I really am…and who he really is…"

Adrien blinks in confusion, still pecking her lips until Marinette reaches into her pocket, withdrawing a little ladybug phone charm. His green eyes widen as he slowly realizes what she's trying to say, and he pulls his lips away from hers as he stares down at her hand.

"You can't ever tell anyone, Adrien, but this, right here, is how I know he's forgotten who Ladybug is…"

"Y-you're…her?"

She grips the charm tighter, then presses it into his hand. "He found out who I was…then forgot everything…"

"L-ladybug…there's no way Chat Noir's forgotten you!"

Her bluebell eyes lock with his marble green ones. She rests her hands on his chest as he wraps one arm around and under her side, keeping his right one on her waist.

"But…you have, Kitty."

Several Weeks Earlier:

"Thirteen times left?"

Plagg, for once, puts his camembert down and sighs. His green eyes seem worried as he looks at Adrien again.

"Looks like it," he responds, obviously reluctant to talk.

"But, Plagg, why do I only have thirteen times left?" demands Adrien.

"Look, it's something that happens only once in every one hundred and sixty-nine times. The Cat Ring stops working after a while for its unlucky holder."

"Why? What makes it stop working?"

Plagg shrugs his tiny shoulders, saying, "I think, after a hundred sixty-nine users, the thing needs to reset, or something like that. That big number, after all, is the biggest unluckiest number there is. Since that ring is the 'bad luck' charm, of course it'd have a problem for its holder."

"Plagg, why didn't you tell me this earlier? Before I took the ring?"

"I didn't think you were the unlucky number! It's been a long time since the last holder!" exclaims Plagg.

Adrien sits down on his bed, elbows resting on his knees as he slouches forward after hearing the news. He had just come home from saving Paris, yet again, with Ladybug. After he had transformed back into Adrien, Plagg had been more tired than ever and passed out. He woke up only just ten minutes ago, and told Adrien about the limit.

"I also think it has to do with how often the unlucky holder uses the charm. You've transformed way more times in a row than any of the previous unlucky ones, so you reached the 'thirteen times left' limit faster than the others."

Adrien rests his forehead in his right hand, the one with the ring, and says,
"But what will Paris do without Chat Noir? What will Ladybug do without him?"

Plagg looked at the blond boy and tilted his oversized head a bit.

"You really mean what will Chat Noir, or Adrien, do without Ladybug, don't you?" he remarks.

Adrien sighs heavily, replying, "Yeah…"

Plagg fidgets a bit, trying to work up the nerve to tell Adrien the worst part about losing the power. "Adrien…"

Adrien, not hearing Plagg, mumbles into his hand, "At least I can see her from my television screen…and remember how awesome it was to be her sidekick."

Plagg's ears droop. "Um, Adrien, there's more that I have to tell you."

Adrien raises his green eyes up to meet Plagg's. "What is it, Plagg?"

"W-well, once you lose the power, after the thirteenth time, you can't ever get the ring back," he replies, unable to mention the memory issue as well. "As far as I know, that is."

He has time to tell Adrien, so he supposes there is no rush. Not yet at least.

"I have to tell Ladybug, Plagg. Tell her that she won't have her sidekick anymore…" Adrien sighs. "I hope she can find a new one who cares about her as much as I do."

He stands up, picking up his pack for school. Plagg flies into it, feeling bad about not saying more.

"But how do I tell her that I'm leaving her alone forever?" Adrien wonders aloud.

He looks out the window and stares for a good five minutes before finally going to the car where his chauffeur is waiting.

"Mr. Agreste? Are you paying any attention?"

Adrien blinks and realizes he has been spacing out for at least ten minutes. The teacher, though somewhat concerned, seems more irritated than anything else.

"Sorry, miss, I guess I didn't sleep enough last night."

Adrien can almost feel the rest of the class staring at him, and hears a few laughing softly for sure.

"Well, Agreste, you should get better rest, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be distracted. It is your fault you didn't go to sleep at an earlier time last night, so you must do your best to pay attention, regardless of how tired you are."

More snickering and whispers.

"Yes, ma'am."

He watches as she turns around to start writing on the board, but he isn't actually seeing the words she's writing. He sighs softly, glancing at his ring.

"Dude, is everything okay?" Nino whispers, leaning over to him.

Blinking, Adrien quickly looks at him and whispers back, "Yeah, just thinking."

"You keep spacing out, man. I think you need some time to just have fun and relax."

Adrien actually manages to chuckle softly and nods.

"I'll try to find time to get out."

Nino, after the teacher exits the room and class has ended, turns around to face Marinette and Alya.

"You ladies want to hang out with us guys tomorrow?" he asks, throwing a sneaky wink at Alya.

Alya, unknown to Marinette, has already let Nino in on the "Adrien Secret". Nino is way better at keeping things hush-hush than anyone would have imagined.

Adrien turns halfway around to face the two as well. He notices that Marinette quickly breaks eye-contact with him, and he gets confused, as usual, by how flustered she always seems to be.

Alya elbows Marinette and beams at the boys, saying, "Of course we do! Where are we hanging?"

Nino checks his phone quickly, and then looks back at the girls.

"There's a new movie out. We should go see it together, dudettes."

Marinette starts stammering incoherently, but Alya grins.

"We will both definitely be there. What's the name of the movie?"

Nino shows the screen only to Alya, and she can tell, just from the title, Lurkers from the Abyss, that Marinette isn't going to come see the film so easily. She will pull the Adrien card and drag her best friend by her pigtails if she has to.

"Yep! We'll meet you guys outside the theatre around five o' clock, okay?" she responds, adjusting her glasses.

Nino gives a thumbs-up and Adrien makes a small smile, while Marinette returns the smile with a big-teethed, nervous one.

The guys get up, ready to leave, when the emergency alarm rings.

The principal announces over the loudspeaker, "All students must remain in their classrooms! The school is on lockdown due to a dangerous villain terrorizing the citizens of Paris!"

The teens all react fairly calmly, some gather by the windows to watch for Ladybug and Chat Noir, while others hug their bags while waiting for the danger to pass.

"Ugh! Now I have to do my nails around you losers," Chloé announces, sounding as though she has stepped on a bug. "Sabrina! Bring me my polish!"

While the others are busy glaring at the snooty blonde or waiting by the windows, Adrien slips out of the room quietly and runs into a janitor's closet.

"Adrien, you sure?" asks Plagg. "After this, you only have twelve more times to be a superhero."

"Plagg, Ladybug is going to need help! That, and she deserves to know that she'll need to get used to a new Chat helping her!"

Plagg sighs and starts to say, "But, Adrien, there's something—

"Plagg, claws out!"

Within minutes, Chat Noir is leaping through the streets of Paris, chasing down the villain. He lands on top of a streetlight and sees a man with taxi-colored armor on his arms and legs, grabbing citizens and dragging them to different locations to then take money from them without permission.

"All passengers must pay their fare!" he yells. "So says the Taxi-nator!"

Chat extends his staff and leaps down in front of the man, saying, "Sorry, Taxicab, but kitty-cats don't pay for rides."

"Move aside, and let me do my job!" says the man, aiming an arm at the black-clad hero and blasting a beam of light at him.

He easily dodges it, jumping to the side.

"Don't you know you're supposed to be nice to animals, Taxi-nator?" says a familiar voice from behind Chat.

His heart skips a beat as he turns to look at Ladybug. Seeing her twirling her yo-yo, walking so confidently, he's always glad to see her.

"Just in time, Bugaboo, as usual," he says, smirking slightly and bowing to her.

She can't help but laugh, even as she rolls her eyes a bit.

"Do you know where the Akuma is hiding?" she asks.

"I think it's probably in the sign on his head," he replies, pointing at the helmet with the sign for taxis on top. "I'll distract him for you, M'lady."

With a wink at Ladybug, Chat jumps down at the villain to whack him with his staff. The man, however, grabs a citizen and points the laser-cannon at his head.

"Come any closer and I will make this customer pay the full price!"

Chat hesitates, and then activates his Cataclysm. He then pretends to look behind the Taxi-nator and says, "Watch out, Ladybug!"

The villain quickly glances behind himself, thinking the super-heroine is there, and Chat leaps forward to break the cannon on his arm. Jumping onto his head, Chat breaks the sign with his staff. Ladybug then catches the Akuma and de-evilizes it.

Everything goes back to normal, and Chat turns to Ladybug.

"We make a pretty paw-some team, don't we?" he remarks, grinning at his pun.

Even though she rolls her eyes, she's laughing a bit. "Yeah, we sure do, huh? Almost purr-fect, you might say?"

He laughs, shoulders shaking a bit, and gazes at her.

"Hey, um, Ladybug…" he starts, ears drooping slightly. "There's something I gotta tell you."

His ring starts blinking and she shakes her head, saying, "It'll have to wait until next time, Kitty. You're almost out of time."

He tries to stop her, but she quickly leaves, zipping through Paris with her yo-yo.

He sighs, and murmurs, "Until next time, M'lady."

The next day, after school, Adrien and Nino are waiting at the movie theatre for the two girls to show up. Adrien actually managed to talk his father into letting him hang out with friends.

"Hey, guys!" calls out Alya, waving to them.

Marinette, on the other hand, is looking anywhere but at the boys. The teens all head into the show. Nino and Alya are doing their best to keep Adrien and Marinette between them. They can't help but be amused at Mari's obvious nervousness and Adrien's obliviousness. As they sit down, Alya purposely shoves Mari into the seat closer to Adrien, and he smiles at her before the lights go out.

"Wanna share a popcorn?" he asks, trying to help her calm down. She must be worried about seeing a scary movie, right?

"Oh! U-um, sure!" she stammers, reaching into the bucket with a shaky hand.

"Hey, I'm not a huge fan of scary movies either, but just try to remember that they aren't real and it may help," he whispers. "And if it gets too scary, just let me know and I can always help you."

Her cheeks redden and she looks away quickly. His brows furrow in concern, but then the lights go out and the movie begins.

It's over halfway through the movie and the two centered teens are terrified. A character in the film has just been torn apart by the monster in the dark shadows. Adrien looks over at Mari and notices small tears reflecting from the screen's glow in her eyes before she squeezes them shut. Acting on impulse, he reaches over and grabs her hand to try and reassure her.

"Do you need to step out?" he whispers, hoping she'll say yes so that he can also have an excuse to leave.

She still has her eyes closed, and is about to say "no", but the sound of another girl getting her arms pulled off makes Marinette quickly nod her head. Adrien breathes a bit more easily and taps Nino on the shoulder.

"Marinette's not feeling well so I'm gonna take her out for a bit," the blond says.

Nino knows exactly why Adrien is leaving too, the scaredy-cat, but he's glad because Alya's plan is working.

"No problem, dude, just make sure she's okay," he whispers back.

Of course, as soon as Adrien helps Marinette out of the theatre, Nino and Alya high-five each other and wink, taking the middles eats now and snacking on the popcorn left behind by Adrien.

"I'm sorry, Adrien, I just am bad with all that blood," Mari says in the hallway, obviously feeling embarrassed. "I'm such a baby."

He pats her shoulder and replies, "It's alright. I hate those kinds of movies too, remember? So we can both be babies together."

She manages to chuckle before realizing she's alone with Adrien. That, and he still has hold of her hand from leading her out.

"Let's go get some fresh air, yeah?" he says, not letting go as he pushes the main doors open in order to take her outside into the evening air.

She's trying not to freak out at the fact that Adrien is willingly holding her hand. He still hasn't let go, even though the two of them have stopped walking. His hand is warming up her cold one. Her heart is racing and her face is super red. Half of her feels like melting and jumping up and down in excitement, while the other half wants to hide under a rock for the rest of her life.

Adrien has no clue he is instigating all these emotions. All he knows is that he's away from that horror movie and helping Marinette to escape as well. He looks at her and smiles.

"Gotta say, the stars are nicer than an octopus eating people and spewing blood at the screen. What do you think, Marinette?"

"I think you're even better than the stars," she murmurs, speaking her thoughts out loud.

"Huh?"

Adrien turns to face her more, confused by her words and wanting to make sure that's really what he heard.

Her eyes grow wide in realization that she just said that and she begins to stammer, "I-I mean, because you're so nice and help me a lot a-and have the most gorgeous eyes! N-not eyes, I meant hand! No, not your hand! Not that i-it's ugly, of course, because it isn't! I just am all weird because of…th-the movie!"

Adrien tightens his grip on her hand a bit, not quite sure why, and notices how cute she is…especially her eyes, which are sparkling in the starlight…maybe it's the shared fear, or the stars twinkling, or the cool night breeze making him want do the next action.

His mind totally blank, eyes slowly closing, Adrien leans in and kisses her softly on the lips. She doesn't know how to react, but Marinette's eyes widen in complete shock. He hasn't stopped yet, so her eyes slowly close. Something about his kiss is familiar, even though that's impossible as far as she knows. After all, Marinette has surely never kissed Adrien! Aside from her dreams, that is. When he finally pulls away, somewhat reluctantly, the two's eyes lock for several moments.

Adrien holds his breath a bit, experiencing new feelings for Marinette and not minding them in the present situation. She opens her lips slightly to try and say something, but he moves in to kiss her once more, urged on by some strange force. She doesn't stop him, and the two remain in the kiss for a few seconds.

He suddenly opens his eyes, realizing that he's kissing her, and pulls back suddenly, shocked at himself. Her eyes open as well, from confusion at the kisses as well as at the abrupt stopping.

"Is…something wrong, Adrien?" she asks quietly, worrying that she upset him or that her breath smells bad.

"I'm really sorry Marinette. I-I just realized I have to get home before my dad gets upset. I'm not really supposed to be out this late," he says, trying to make sure he doesn't offend her. If he tells her he hadn't even meant to kiss her, her feelings would be hurt badly.

"B-but we definitely should hang out more, okay?" he says, smiling a bit to cheer her up more.

"O-okay," she replies, keeping her eyes on the ground now.

Alya, who has walked out with Nino, chimes in, "At least walk her home first, Adrien!"

"I don't see what the problem is, kid!" Plagg says, munching on his camembert the next evening. "It's about time you made a move on that girl! You've been eyeing her since day one!"

"Plagg! I'm in love with Ladybug, so how could I go and kiss another girl?" Adrien demands, pacing his room. "And I don't even know why I kissed her!"

It's at times like these that make the little kwami wish he could break the rule regarding revealing another Miraculous-wielder. Considering the fact that Adrien would only know until his last transformation, Plagg is strongly tempted to just spill the beans now. However, it's so ingrained in the little critter not to, so he does the next best thing.

"Well, maybe it's time you found another girl though, since you won't be teaming up with Ladybug for much longer. Marinette obviously didn't mind the kissing, and you sure didn't either, so why not just see what happens?"

"It just seems wrong, Plagg. I have to apologize to Marinette at school tomorrow."

"You should take my advice—

Plagg is interrupted by the television's breaking news music.

"Another super villain has appeared by the Eiffel Tower, and—

Adrien looks at the screen to see that Ladybug has already started the fight against the latest villain.

"Adrien, you'll be one time closer to—

"I know! Plagg, claws out!"

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she calls out as her good luck reverts everything back to normal.

"Pound it!" they both say, fist-bumping each other.

After it all settles, Chat Noir turns to face her.

"Ladybug, I really need to say something."

"Okay, but make it quick, Chat. I've only got five minutes!"

He knows it'll take longer than five minutes to get what he has to say out, and then to deal with the emotions and impact of his words…

"I just want to tell you how much I appreciate working alongside you," he says.

She smiles and laughs, replying, "Thank you, Kitty. Even though you joke around, it's nice to work with you too."

With that, she hurries off before she transforms.

He hasn't shifted back yet, since he never had to use Cataclysm, and instead is out and about on the streets of Paris. Hopping from one streetlight to another, he's feeling restless and anxious over Ladybug and Marinette, as well as the approaching loss of his powers. If he only has twelve times left, then Chat wants to remain in his hero form as long as possible.

Pausing to sit on a gargoyle of Notre Dame, Chat looks out at the boats on the Seine while trying to sort out his thoughts. Why did he kiss Marinette when he had devoted his heart to Ladybug? Why couldn't he seem to tell Ladybug that he wouldn't be her sidekick anymore? Why…was his mind stuck on last night and that kiss?

"Maybe Plagg's right about moving on from Ladybug," he mumbles, bringing a knee up to rest his chin on it. "And Marinette's a really sweet girl…a bit spazzy, but super nice…"

He laughs softly at recalling the various times she's acted silly and flustered whenever he's said something to her, and it's only now he finally realizes the reason behind it all. Only when he talks to her does she blush, stammer, and act like a klutz. That, and how she reacted when he kissed her last night…she had responded well, and not at all negatively…

Except when he'd stopped kissing her

He slaps a hand to his forehead, saying, "I'm such an idiot! Cat gets her tongue only when she's around me! Or rather, Adrien…how have I been so dense?"

He thinks back to the day he had given her the umbrella in the rain, and how she'd stared at him, then stammered, after he had been nice to her.

"She's liked me this whole time," he whispers in growing enlightenment, standing up on the gargoyle's head. "Still, I can't just move right in on her. If I come on too fast, she might get scared."

Plus, he still is attached to Ladybug. Though…oddly enough, when he thinks of Ladybug, Marinette keeps coming to mind as well. He looks at the Tower just as it starts its twinkling and smiles. It's views like this that he'll really miss the most. One of these nights, he's going to stay on the tip-top of the Eiffel and watch the evening go by him. Not tonight though, since tomorrow is school and his chance at asking Marinette out again. He's got to make sure to get plenty of rest to arrive early in order to talk to her.

"Good to see you finally are taking my wise advice to heart!" says Plagg as he peeps out of Adrien's shirt pocket.

"I'm just asking her to hang out, Plagg! It's not like we're a couple!" Adrien hisses, walking down the hall to Marinette's locker.

She's talking to Alya and her back is turned to him, so Alya spots him first. She grins but doesn't warn Marinette that Adrien is right behind her. He puts a hand out and places it gently on her shoulder, trying not to startle her. He fails, though, as she jumps a bit and makes a very odd squeak of sorts.

"Whoa, sorry there, Marinette! I didn't mean to scare you."

Alya laughs and winks. "We were just talking about you, actually."

Adrien can only imagine. Mari probably told Alya all about the kisses, so that must be why the blue-black haired girl is extra jumpy today. Her cheeks go scarlet at Alya's words and she laughs nervously.

"Hey, Marinette, could we go somewhere after school today?" he asks, trying to act normal and as though nothing happened. Not until they were alone at least, away from Alya and Nino…and Chloé, of course. "I'd like to talk with you."

"W-where?"

"Um, how about we go for snacks at a cafe? Oh, wait, your family works at a bakery…"

Alya shoves Marinette from behind, since her friend is staring at Adrien without replying.

"N-no! I'd love to go!" she exclaims.

"Aren't you tired of pastries though?"

"Not at all! Especially with you! I m-mean, with new places to try them!"

His lips move into a smile that is a bit slanted, but also understanding.

"I gotcha. Food is always better with fun people, even if it's the same stuff you always eat at home," he says, patting her shoulder and turning to go to class.

Alya chuckles and tries to shake Marinette out of her Adrien-just-asked-me-out-and-touched-me daze.

Of course, a few students see the interaction and whisper about what could be going on, but overall, Adrien is pleased with the lack of attention and prying eyes.

"Dude, so you're going out with Marinette after school today?" Nino whispers, not so quietly, in Adrien's ear during class. "You gonna smooch again?"

"Shh! Not so loud, Nino! And who told you about that?"

"Alya told me after she got it out of Marinette, bro. So, you kissed her, huh? And now you're going on a date?"

"It's not a date date! Just more like a meeting between classmates!" Adrien hushes back.

"Sure, whatever you say, dude. Take breath mints just in case though, alright?"

"In case of what?"

Nino winks and nudges his friend's elbow, saying, "In case you go in for another one today, bro."

The blond blushes and doesn't know what to say.

"What is so interesting, you two?" the teacher demands, having observed them whispering. "Please, share your wisdom with the rest of the class, since it appears to be much more interesting than my lesson."

"S-sorry, ma'am!" Adrien says. "I was just trying to explain part of it to Nino!"

"Yup! I missed a part or two and my pal here was just reminding me to pay more attention, miss!" Nino says, giving a thumbs-up to her while hanging his arm on Adrien's shoulders.

Her brows furrow as she replies, "Well, next time remind him after class, okay?"

Adrien nods, hoping others didn't hear too much of their conversation.

It's only when he's standing outside the school on the stairs that Adrien realizes he never gave a specific time to meet, or a place for that matter. He really needs to get better at this. Fortunately enough for him, Marinette finds him outside.

"Hey, Marinette! Sorry I wasn't clear earlier about where to meet."

She shakes her head and says, "It's no problem! I mean, we managed to meet up, right?"

"True! Alright, the café is close to Notre Dame. I'll have you home before dark though."

The two sit down at a table in the café, waiting for coffee and croissants. Adrien keeps watching her, trying to understand what he actually feels for her. And if this newfound sensation for her is really for her. He has to admit that she is adorable, especially when she blushes. Since she does that frequently, she's extra adorable a lot.

She's worried there might be something on her face, because he keeps looking at her. That, and she keeps thinking about the kissing and wondering if that means he likes her. Should she even bring it up? Would that just make things ten times as awkward?

"So, Marinette, what do you like to do? I know you like fashion, but is there anything else you enjoy?" he asks, also thinking about the kiss but not wanting to just dive right into that topic yet.

"Oh! Well, I also like drawing a little. Walking in the park is always nice too. I must seem so boring! Sorry, it's kind of hard to think right now! Just after school so my brain is all fuzzy!"

"I've seen your drawings and I gotta say they're great. And I like walks in the park too, so I don't think you're boring. Maybe the next time we hang out, we can go to the park."

She looks at him and her eyebrows are arched a bit in concern.

"Adrien, why do you want to be around me? I mean, why out of the blue? Is this because of…the other night?" she asks, lowering her eyes to the corner of the table.

"Look, Marinette, the reason I kissed you…well, I thought it was just on an impulse. But when I thought about it afterwards, a lot, I realized you've been on my mind a lot even before that. I've been too stupid to really understand it I guess," he replies, knocking on his head a bit.

Her eyes meet his and they're wider than usual. She blinks rapidly a few times and he feels a bit bad for causing such confusion. The waiter brings them the coffee and food. Adrien stirs his cup, adding in extra sugar as he thinks of what to say next.

"You see, I thought I was in love with someone else. But the more I try to think of her, the more you come into my thoughts, Marinette. It's weird, because she's always reminded me of you…but it took me this long to notice because I'm slow."

He takes a sip, staring at the liquid's surface and the shapes it vaguely reflects.

"Who did you love?" she asks softly.

"You'll think it's dumb…"

"No I won't! Please tell me who she is?"

"Well…everyone in Paris should be in love with her, except maybe Hawkmoth," he says, laughing in mild embarrassment.

"Oh! Ladybug!"

"Like I said though, she kinda reminds me of you, Marinette."

"Y-you mean I remind you of her, right?" she asks, suddenly quite flustered.

"No, I meant what I said earlier. I mean, I'm not sure why, but she really does make me think of you."

Marinette stirs her coffee, her hands shaking a bit. This topic needs to change, at least a little, from Ladybug, otherwise Adrien might figure out why Ladybug reminded him of Marinette!

"Wait, so are you saying that you…l-love…" she says, unable to say the last bit and pausing mid-stir as she thinks about what she was going to ask.

"…I guess I am," he replies, munching on his flaky snack. "At this point, I'd like to keep it more to ourselves, and Alya and Nino of course. I just want it to be less known because of what the rest of the school might say…not to mention my dad and the press."

Her face reddens and she is incapable of speaking for several moments. Is this some dream? Or a prank? Maybe a fevered hallucination?

"S-so we're…a c-couple?"

Now it's his turn to blush as his free hand reaches back to rub his nape. After nodding a little, he says, "Yeah, it looks like it. As long as you're okay with being one, then so am I."

"I gotta say your parents make better food than that place. Still, it was nice to get out and try something new with you," he says, walking her home later.

His last few words are accompanied by him cautiously taking hold of her hand. She blushes badly, but doesn't pull away from him. A couple. She's a couple with Adrien. They are finally in front of her door but he isn't letting go yet. He's smiling down at her instead, not saying a word. She brushes some of her bangs back a little, though they fall right back in front of her forehead, and now she isn't sure what to do. She glances down at her bag where Tikki is peeping through the zipper and pursing her lips. Heart beating too quickly, she looks back up at Adrien and goes up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Adrien, who was just looking at Marinette without any thinking, sees her coming up to kiss him and leans his head down to meet her. His hand grips hers tighter, while her free hand rests on the front of his shirt against his pounding heart. Her parents are in the kitchen of the bakery, and can easily see the teens through the large, glass windows. Her mother chuckles and leans her head against her husband's arm.

"They remind me of when we were first dating," she whispers.

He chuckles and nods in agreement, putting his arm around his wife's waist. "As long as they only kiss, I approve of her dating him."

Adrien finally pulls away, though slowly and reluctantly.

"See you tomorrow," he says very quietly, releasing her hand so that she can go inside.

She sighs but nods and goes inside, glancing back at him once before going upstairs. Her parents have ducked down so she doesn't notice them.

Adrien turns and starts to stroll home, humming softly to himself. Plagg munches away at his cheese, happy to see Adrien coming to terms with everything. He'd tell him about the memory thing, but not right now when the kid is just so happy and on cloud nine.

"Dude!" Nino runs up to Adrien at the lockers the next day. "What did I tell you, bro?"

Adrien has already expected Alya to learn from Marinette, since the two are best friends, so he isn't surprised or caught off-guard by Nino.

"Yes, Nino, you were right."

Nino crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. "Well, duh. Another kiss, huh? And she initiated?"

"Yeah…I didn't expect it to happen, but we kissed again after I walked her home." He blushes faintly while remembering it. He's been up nearly all night thinking of Marinette. In other words, Adrien's fallen hard.

"D-hude!" Nino laughs, shaking his head a bit. "It's about time, bro. Good job. You going out again soon?"

"Hopefully. I didn't exactly ask her yet though."

Nino sighs and says, "Well go ask her then! You've never seemed happier than now, man!"

"Ask who what, Adrikins?" demands a familiarly bossy voice.

"Hey, Chloé. And I was just gonna ask Marinette if I could see some of her fashion drawings," Adrien replies, not actually lying. He wants to see them the next time they go out.

"Ugh, why bother even looking at that twerp's lame doodles she calls fashion? Wouldn't you much rather see my exquisite designs?" she says, blowing her gum into a bubble.

Usually, Adrien doesn't get angry or irritated, not even with Chloé. Now, however, after developing romantic feelings for Marinette, his brows furrow in obvious displeasure. He is unable to brush this off or un-see just how rude the blonde is to Marinette.

"You know, Chloé, you need to be nicer to Mari! She's a neat girl who deserves respect just like everyone else, so stop being rude to her all the time!"

Chloé's bubble of gum pops and she's staring at him in utter surprise. Nino looks at his friend, also surprised but impressed as well. Even Sabrina is amazed at Adrien's sudden defense of Marinette. At the defense, and at his confrontation with Chloé.

"But, Adri—

"Don't even start, Chloé. This isn't 'school culture', it's just downright mean and you know it."

With that, the blond young man turns and walks away from her.

A few other students have also observed the conversation and the whispered speculations begin to circulate the school.

The only words that escape Chloé's lips next are, "Did Adrien just call her Mari?"

Plagg snickers from Adrien's pocket and says, "Ooh! Standing up to Chloé for your girlfriend, huh?"

"So? It's about time someone did! I'm only mad that I didn't do this earlier!"

"Where are you going now?" asks Plagg.

Adrien doesn't answer him, but finds his way to Marinette's locker. She's fitting something into her locker while rummaging through it for a binder, when she catches sight of him from the corner of her eye. She stands upright to turn and face him, though is having a hard time looking him in the eyes.

"Marinette, I owe you a huge apology."

"For what?" she asks, perplexed, and now looks at him directly.

"I never should have let Chloé treat you so badly. I'm sorry it took me this long to finally defend you properly and say something to her about it."

His pupils narrow and the green irises glint a bit when he's angry, or at least so it seems to Marinette.

"It's okay, really!" she says, though a big part of her is pleased that Chloé got put in her place by a normally calm guy, especially one as sweet as Adrien who just so happened to be her boyfriend.

"No," he replies, reaching down and touching the tips of his fingers to the tips of hers. "It wasn't okay of me to stand by and say nothing."

"Adrien, we shouldn't hold hands here," she whispers, looking around to make sure no one is near them.

"Mari, meet me in the park later…if you aren't busy after school that is," he murmurs, not letting his fingertips break contact with hers yet. "I'd love to see your designs and sketches."

Her face is somewhat flushed as she nods in agreement. "I-I'll bring my best ones."

"Wow, these are even better than I expected!" Adrien says as he flips through her sketchbook.

The two are sitting on a bench and Marinette is keeping a small distance between their bodies from her nervousness. Their knees are inches apart. "You really think so?"

He nods, smiling, and turns his head to look at her now. "I might have to show some of these to my dad. He'd be impressed too, Mari."

Her heart skips at least twenty beats in a row and she doesn't know what to say. "A-are you sure? But he's a professional a-and I'm not, and—

Adrien chuckles and puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm positive, Mari. The only difference between a professional and you is that you just need to meet the right people. You got approval from a fashion designer's son, so, I'd say you have a good shot at getting some of these designs out in the public."

She stares, then can't help but make an excited "oooh" sound. "You'd really do that for me?"

Her bluebell eyes shine more when she's happy, and she's just so pretty. Does she know any of this?

"I sure would. Try not to worry, Marinette." His hand moves from her shoulder to her cheek. He can feel the heat from her blushing skin underneath his palm, and wishes she could relax a little. "I'll make sure he chooses at least one of these."

"Thank you, Adrien," she murmurs, trying to calm her heart.

He's outside the school weeks later, waiting for his chauffer when a sudden rainfall drenching him to the skin. This was Paris, after all, and fall time nonetheless. Rain could be sporadic like this. He's feeling pretty down, since his times have now been reduced to only five more times. The blond would limit himself more, but whenever he sees a supervillain, it's just first instinct to transform. Now he's soaking wet and freezing, making his mood simply that much dimmer.
"Just great…" he mumbles, when his eye catches sight of someone running and sees an item drop from their bag.

He runs over to the dropped thing and picks it up.

"Hey! You dropped this!" he calls after the hazy figure in the pouring rain, but the falling water drowns out his voice.

Adrien sighs and looks at the thing he has in his hand, only to gasp a bit in surprise. It's warm and, if he's not mistaken, very similar to Plagg. A kwami? The little red thing sneezes and is shivering, so Adrien quickly tucks it into his over-shirt to try and shield it from the rain as best he can. He looks over and sees the car ready to take him home.

"Thank you for saving me."

The red and black creature, wrapped in Adrien's blue scarf, is munching on cookies he gave her. She's adorable, and a lot more polite than Plagg. A kwami. Not just any kwami, but Ladybug's kwami. They're all in Adrien's room, the red kwami sitting on the bed beside the boy, and Plagg hovering between the two.

"So, got stuck in the rain, huh, Tikki?"

"Wait, you know her?" Adrien asks him.

Tikki nods. "Of course we know each other. All kwami know each other, Chat Noir."

Plagg snickers at Adrien's shocked expression. "He's not the brightest kid, Tikki. But he feeds me well, so I figure I'll stick around and help him out until my time's up."

Her eyes become worried. "Time's up? So he's the unlucky wielder then?"

The black kwami sighs, nodding. "Yeah, we're down to five more times until a new Chat Noir is chosen."

Tikki looks at Adrien, who is staring down at the floor during this reminder of his impending loss of the Miraculous. He's stroking the ring on his finger, thinking of how confident it makes him feel now, and how naked he'll feel when it's gone.

"Tikki, what will Ladybug do without Chat Noir?" His voice is low, and he looks at her directly. "I've been trying to tell her, but there's never enough time it seems."

"Adrien, I'm not really sure. I mean, she'll manage, until the next Cat Miraculous wielder appears, but she will be super sad at not having Chat around anymore. Don't worry though. Things will work out somehow, and you'll both learn to adjust."

He smiles, even though his expression is still sad, and pats her head. "Thanks. I guess you're right, and things will get better after this. I just wish I could tell her everything…about how I feel towards her, or warn her that her Kitty is leaving."

He can't help but tear up at those last words, since they bring up feelings that have been simmering in his heart ever since he found out about the coming loss of his powers.

"I just feel like I'm abandoning her…what kind of guy does that…"

Plagg's whiskers droop, while Tikki floats up to Adrien's face.

"I know it's super-duper hard right now," she says, dabbing at his tears with her tiny hands. "I can't tell you who she is, but Ladybug cares a lot about you. Even after you lose your powers, you can still be around her!"

"Why can't you tell me who she is?" he asks, still teary.

"It's against the rules to say who she is…but you do have to get back to her before another villain appears, so there's a chance he'll find out on his own," says Plagg, heavy hinting in his voice.

Tikki giggles. "True. Adrien, since you're a really good person, and trustworthy, I won't stop you from finding out. But I won't tell her anything, and I really don't want you to say anything to her even if you do find out, okay? Still act like regular Adrien and Chat Noir?"

He wipes the tears from his cheeks, meeting her eyes with his green ones. "Okay. I'll keep it to myself if I do see her when I return you."

Adrien, at school the next day, looks for Marinette at lunch. She's now his main lunch partner, and Alya and Nino let the new couple be alone. They usually spy though, snickering to one another about Adrien and Marinette. The other students don't know the exact nature of their relationship, but that doesn't stop Adrien from eating with her in front of them. He feels Plagg's warmth in his pocket, and now also Tikki's in his other pocket. He sits beside Marinette and pats her hand in what he hopes looks like "just friends" to the classmates, when he realizes she seems more worried than she usually is.

"Something the matter, Marinette?"

She sighs heavily, too upset apparently to even react much to his presence. "I lost something really special to me, and I've looked everywhere for it. I can't find it anywhere."

"Well, I'll help you find it! You know you can count on me, right, Mari?" he smiles at her, trying to get her to look at him. "What does this thing look like?"

"You'll think it's really dumb or something," she replies, eyes still focused on the ground. "Childish at the least."

"No I won't. I promise I won't laugh or anything. This is something you think is special, so I'll treat it the same way."

She finally manages to look at him and even smiles a little. "Okay…thank you, Adrien. It's a small plush toy. It looks super lifelike, but it's a doll. It's about this big," she puts her hands out in front of herself to show the imaginary dimensions, "and is mostly red, but has black spots on it."

His face goes from smiling comfortingly to shocked and completely stunned. She just described Tikki!

"You mean like…a ladybug's spots?" he asks, trying to ignore his pounding heart and dizzy vision.

Her eyes widen slightly, or at least seem to do so to his eyes, and she nods. "Y-yeah! Like a ladyb-bug!"

Now it's his hands' turn to shake as he reaches into his pocket to pull out the limp and seemingly lifeless Tikki.

"Where did you find her—I-I mean it?" Marinette asks, taking it from him eagerly.

"You must have been the one who dropped her during that rainy day. I saw her lying in the rain and I just had to keep her safe, y'know? But I wish I had known she was your plush. I would have returned her sooner if I did!"

She hugs him tightly, forgetting everything else except how happy she is that he found her incredibly special "plush doll". All he can think about, of course, is the fact that he's just discovered who Ladybug is. Marinette. Ladybug is Marinette. The girl he's been falling more and more for is Ladybug.

"Thank you so much, Adrien!"

Adrien stares at the ceiling in his room, lying on his back. Ladybug...Ladybug is Marinette. He's been Ladybug's boyfriend without even realizing it. But Ladybug is so confident and ready to jump into action, while Marinette, as sweet and cool as she is, lacks that confidence. Wait, no. Obviously not, since they're the same person.

"Just like me and Chat Noir, really..." he mumbles to himself. "Chat's always so snarky and fun, while I'm just the boring, quiet rich kid..."

He sighs, then laughs to himself. That would explain a lot as to why he's thought of Ladybug when he's around Mari. "No wonder I love them both…and daydream about them all day and night."

"You'd think the hair and eyes would have given it away by now," says Plagg, eating his camembert while sitting on Adrien's stomach.

"I know. I've been so blind I guess." Then he pauses. "Do you think she knows who Chat Noir is?"

The little kwami shakes his head. "Nah, or else Ladybug would be all stuttering around Chat!"

The blond chuckles while imagining the scene, and smiles at the ceiling. Then his expression becomes more serious. "I have to let her know, Plagg. Somehow."

"You already promised not to say anything to her, so what do you think you're gonna do?"

Adrien sits up, making Plagg need to hover now. "I won't straight up tell her, but I want to somehow at least warn her."

He stands up and walks over to the window. Resting his hand against the glass, his green eyes stare out at nothing in particular. What can he say to her?

After yet another de-evilizing and their fist-bumping, Chat Noir leans on his staff and stares at Ladybug. Marinette…how could he have not seen it until now? The beautifully blue eyes and adorable pigtails, the same sweetly-inviting lips…his green eyes trace her outline, his mind yelling at himself for being so incredibly dense this whole time.

"Cat got your tongue, Kitty?" she giggles and socks his arm playfully. "Or is there dirt on my face?"

He chuckles, though his eyes belie his smile. They're more serious, and even a little sad, but he leans in and pecks her cheek. "Yup. Right there, Bugaboo! And here too…" He kisses her other cheek.

She scoffs a little, and shakes her head, but laughs. "Well, am I clean now?" Her tone is heavy with teasing.

He winks. "Well, there is still some on your lips there…" He leans in more, playfully threatening to kiss her fully.

She puts her hand on his face, against his mouth a bit to push him back, laughing more. "No thanks, Kitty. I think I'll take care of this myself."

The next week, he and Marinette sit on a bench on one of the many bridges over the Seine. They've got ice cream from André, and Adrien thinks it's adorable how excited Marinette is to eat it with him. Of course, he doesn't think about the legend to do with the ice cream bringing couples together forever. He inhales deeply, looking up at the reddening sky. It's near dusk, and the sky looks like brilliant cotton candy, with wisps of pink against the deepening blue, and streaks of gold tracing the pink clouds. His free hand, the one with his ring, takes hold of Marinette's left hand, and he turns his head to look at her. Her cheeks flush a bit, but she stays relatively unflustered this time around. His hand is warm, and he's rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

He glances down at the ring on his finger, thinking of his secret, and how he's going to lose it in just three more times.

"Hey, so I know you're a huge Ladybug fan, Mari, but what about Chat Noir?"

She eats another bite before replying, "He seems sort of...mischievous, nonchalant, and a bit immature at times."

She giggles, thinking of the black-clad super-sidekick, and then looks him in the eye. "But he also seems super sweet and dependable. Ladybug always relies so much on him, even if she appears irritated, I think it's his confidence and nonchalance that helps her keep going."

He smiles warmly at her, wishing he could reveal himself to her. "So...the things that annoy her also help her, you think?"

She laughs more, covering her mouth in that adorable manner of hers, and nods. "Well, yeah, I think so. He never changes, so it's refreshing even if it's kind of annoying, you know?"

He can't help it. Leaning in, he pecks her cheek. But then he sighs and looks over his shoulder at the water behind them.

"Hey, Marinette, what...what if he can't always be there for Ladybug?"

The sun's dusky rays glint in his hair and make it appear golden. The same rays catch in his eyes and give them the warmest glow she's ever seen. What a weird question though!

"What do you mean?" She's as confused as can be. "Of course he'll always be there for her, just like she'll always be there for him. They're a superhero team, so they can't be separated. Ever."

Her confident tone and eager eyes make his heart ache, but he looks directly at her.

"But what if?"

Her expression falls ever so slightly.

"Well...she'd be really upset and sad, of course, but...she'd know he had a good reason not to show up," she says, her tone softening. "She would do her best to understand."

He glances at the darkening water, then back at her and manages a small smile. "You sure seem to know her well."

Her eyes widen and she shuts her mouth for a second before nervously laughing and replying with, "W-well Alya has interviewed her a-and I've talked to Ladybug a few times!"

He loves how varying Marinette can be, and chuckles as he nudges her cheek with his nose. Even though he'll lose his powers, he's grateful to still be able to love Ladybug—or Marinette. She's sort of frozen between pure joy at having him so cuddly, and fear at messing this whole thing up. He pulls away a little bit, but only to turn her face towards himself more in order to kiss her. This time is deeper than previous ones, and a bit longer.

"I love you, Marinette..." he murmurs between kisses.

Her cheeks go scarlet and she glances away from his gorgeously sun-laced green eyes, feeling very shy and happy at the same time. He actually said it! His arms go around her waist as he kisses her forehead, and then buries his face in her shoulder and she can't help but hug around his neck.

"Adrien," she whispers. "Are you okay?"

All he can do is hug tighter, trying to keep the future away for now, inhaling her scent to try and ignore everything else. When he loses Chat, he hopes this here—this moment, this smell, this warmth in his arms, this girl he loves—he hopes this all gets him through what's coming.

"Vanilla," he mumbles into her shoulder.

"H-huh?" She rubs his shoulders, reflexively, and wonders why he's not making much sense.

He turns his head so that his cheek rests on her shoulder away from her neck. "You smell like vanilla…" Just like Ladybug, is what he wants to say, but instead he continues with, "…just like ice cream."

She can't help but giggle. "Well, we did just eat some, so…" Oh gosh, he's still holding onto her, and he's making her mind speed off at a zillion miles a second.

He chuckles, and his shoulders move with his quieted laughing. "Fair enough."

Adrien pulls away for a second, since the sun is at the perfect spot for a picture. Pulling out his phone, he smiles at her. "Sorry. I just really want to remember this evening with you forever, Mari."

She could melt right now if physics allowed it. Taking out her phone too, she giggles nervously but happily. "Me too, Adrien."

Putting his arm around her shoulders, he snaps a few selfies with her, one of them just smiling, another with him kissing her cheek, another of her kissing his, and the last picture of them both kissing. All have the sky at that perfect moment right before the sun sets, where the air itself seems bathed in fading gold.

"Hey!" Chloé waves in front of Adrien's face, trying to snap him out of his daydream. "Adrikins!"

"...what is it, Chloé?" he mumbles, sitting in the classroom. He's looking at the pictures of him with Marinette, and there are new ones now.

She crosses her arms. "Why do you call Marinette 'Mari' now?"

He feels himself getting annoyed, since he was just in the middle of thinking about Ladybug/Marinette and how he's going to break the news before his transformations are up, and replies, "Because she's my girlfriend."

The blonde girl is in the middle of filing her nails when she hears this and freezes. "Wait...did you just—

Adrien stands up. "Yeah, I did. She's my girlfriend, and a super awesome one at that."

He really doesn't have time to deal with this, with the fellow students' reaction to what he just said. He has one more time. One last transformation before Chat Noir simply vanishes from Paris. One last time to say something—anything—to Ladybug. One last time to be someone other than boringly awkward Adrien Agreste.

Sighing, he walks out of the classroom, ignoring his classmates' stares or attempts to talk to him. He makes his way to the locker-room, leaning his head against the cool metal door to his locker.

"I don't want to say goodbye forever," he whispers, voice breaking from the tightness in his throat. "Not after my mom."

Plagg peeks out of the bag. "Hey, Adrien, um…will you eat camembert with me, since our last time together is soon?"

He hates camembert, but the idea of never having to carry it around anymore suddenly brings tears to his eyes. He'll never get to complain about the tiny black cat, or hear the grating voice, or joke around with him. Nodding, he pats Plagg's little head.

"I'll eat whatever you want me to, Plagg."

At home, though he has to have other food to eat afterwards to ease the sharp taste of camembert, Adrien manages to snack on the stinky, strong cheese beloved by his partner kwami.

"Y'know, Adrien, even after we separate, I want you to know that you'll always be one of my favorite wielders. I mean, you feed me well, you've played with me, and kept me company. You're a decent kid. Now, after I'm gone and you're not Chat anymore, I want you to still be good to Marinette, got it?"

The blond nods, taking out his phone. "I know you won't show up on camera, Plagg, but I want a photo with you. Our last time eating this nasty camembert together."

The kwami acts offended. "It's not nasty. It is refined! But okay. This certainly is a moment to capture." He floats over next to the boy's face and makes a silly face. In the picture, it simply looks like Adrien holding a piece of wrapped camembert while smiling in a selfie.

"There. Even though it looks like I'm alone, I'll know you were right there next to my right ear, Plagg."

The ears droop. "…um, Adrien. About that—

"What is it?"

"Well, you see…" The kwami takes a deep breath. "You—

The television, on in the background, blurts out, "Breaking news! A supervillain has appeared and is trapping civilians…"

"Sorry, Plagg, it'll have to wait!" Adrien stands up, about to say the words to transform, putting his hand up.

"No, Adrien!"

Something in the kwami's voice makes the boy hesitate.

"Have you forgotten that after one more transformation, you won't see me anymore?"

Adrien's green eyes widen, and his hand lowers until he looks at the screen and spots Ladybug chasing after the supervillain.

"…she needs me, Plagg." His voice is steady, but miserable.

"I-I know that, but Adrien, after this time—

"I know! I'll never be Chat again, or see you! I know!"

"You won't even remember me!"

His exclamation shocks Adrien, and he freezes up. "W-what do you mean?"

Plagg's own eyes water. "After you lose your powers…the Cat Miraculous will make you forget you were ever Chat Noir…and forget that I even exist."

"Plagg…why…why are you saying this only now?"

The kwami hangs his head. "I just couldn't tell you before, y'know?"

Thinking of his own difficulty in saying goodbye to Ladybug, Adrien understands his little cat kwami's dilemma well. "…I don't want to forget about you, Plagg…" He reaches out and hugs the feline close to his heart. "I promise to eat camembert every night, so that a small part of me remembers you."

He's crying now, tears falling at the thought of losing this little guy and the memories of him.

"I won't ever forget you, Adrien." The kwami is crying too, even as he floats back and puts his tiny paw out. Adrien puts his hand against the paw in a sort of high-five, and tries to smile.

"Let's go save Paris one more time, yeah?"

Plagg nods, managing his own smile.

"Plagg, claws out."

"Pound it!"

Chat Noir's purposely not used Cataclysm so that he'd have time. "…Bugaboo, there's something I've been trying to say, but it just won't come out right."

She looks up at him. "Well, what is it? Just try your best, Chat."

It's now night-time, and the lights from around the city shimmer in her blue eyes that stare up at him.

"Well, first, tell me how you really feel about me, M'lady."

She giggles. "Annoying, flirty, and too playful!" Smiling, she socks his arm.

However, before he can become disheartened by this, she pecks his cheek. "But also sweet, caring, and dependable. I can always count on you, Kitty, to at least make me laugh."

He smiles now, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Well, Ladybug, your Kitty's going to be…" But how can he break the news? With her shining, trusting eyes staring up at him? "…he's going to be taking a…a trip of sorts."

"A trip?" Her voice sounds worried.

"Y-yeah. So I won't be…here for the next supervillain…" He struggles to keep his tears back. "Think you can manage without your Kitty for a while, Bugaboo?"

She looks so sad and lost, but he just can't say it…leaving forever. "Well…I'll do my best, Chat, but…please try not to be too long, okay?"

He hugs her tightly and inhales her scent. "…you smell so sweet, Bugaboo…"

She's about to reply when her earrings blink, meaning she needs to leave as soon as possible. He quickly takes hold of her face and leans down to kiss her forehead, making her pause in mild surprise. "…take care of yourself, M'lady."

It's murmured against her skin, and she blushes slightly.

"Of course, Chat Noir…you too…"

He stands up on the top of the Eiffel Tower, looking out at the city he's been protecting for so long now, and the city he's going to forget. Not its name or anything, but Adrien doesn't know every little nook and cranny the way Chat Noir does. It's the difference between knowing the name of a book, and then knowing what's really inside. He doesn't want to lose this view, this feeling of freedom up here in the crisp night air with all his powers.

"I couldn't tell Ladybug…" he says to himself and to Plagg, even though the kwami is technically part of him right now. He can't stop crying and leaps down, jumping and vaulting along with his staff. The cold air rushes by him, wiping his tears for him. He doesn't even let himself think until he pauses to catch his breath and realizes he's in Marinette's neighborhood. Glancing around, he sees Marinette out on her rooftop in her pajamas.

Maybe he can say something.

He lands by her, and she startles a bit, but quickly recovers when she sees it's Chat Noir.

"Why is a superhero visiting me so late?" she asks, with her voice preoccupied but concerned. "You seem sad, Chat Noir…are you?"

"You seem pretty down too, Marinette. Why are you out so late?"

She sighs and leans back more against the rail. "I asked you first, Chat Noir…but if you must know, I'm thinking about a friend of mine…he was acting strange earlier, and I don't know why…"

He hates seeing her so sad. Even worse though, is seeing her so confused without good reason. "I'm sorry to hear you're sad, Marinette."

She looks at him again. "…I guess it's your turn, Chat."

His shoulders drop a bit and he sighs while looking up at the moon. "I was lonely, and I'm gonna miss this. Being out late like this and saving Paris."

"…you sound like you're going away. Are you?"

Tears well up and he nods. "I couldn't manage to tell Ladybug, but…this is apparently the last time I'm gonna be in Paris. Something about it being time for the Ring to go to another wielder."

He's trying to stay composed, but his face tightens up as he cries more while struggling to hold it in.

Her face, also, shows how completely shocked she is. "Y-you won't be coming back?"

He shakes his head, looking away from her. "I feel like the biggest loser for not telling Ladybug when I had the chance. And for leaving her alone here."

She has tears in her eyes as well, but takes his hand to try and comfort the devastated hero. Her heart aches at seeing the usually playful and carefree male so heartbroken. He's still trying, even now, to keep himself from breaking down…but that only makes her feel worse for him.

"Chat, I think you being here for so long has taught Ladybug how to fight on her own. And plus, if another wielder is found, she won't be alone for long."

He glances sidelong at her. "…meaning I'm being replaced…"

"What? No! Chat Noir, how could you possibly be replaced? Sure there'll be another wielder, but there can never be another Chat Noir." She kisses his cheek and rests a hand there to try and help calm him, even though she's crying too. "We'll all miss you."

"Thank you," he says, tearing up once more and breaking down for good now, hugging onto her and crying softly.

She's not doing much better, and the two have their faces buried in the other's shoulder. She has her hands up and under his embrace, rubbing his back to help ease his pain. His whole body's trembling from it. She doesn't want to lose him, and her lips quiver at the thought of this sweetly annoying partner vanishing.

He finally smiles through his tears. "…Marinette, would you do this sad feline a favor, and take a picture with me here in this romantic moonlight? Just so my last night as, well, me, can have some positive moments?"

She sniffles, but nods. "Of course I will." Taking out her phone, she positions it so that they're in a selfie. He stands behind her now, and places his hands on her shoulders.

He kisses her cheek for one picture, wanting to give her some hints or ideas. That, and to also comfort her in some small way. He goes in for another, to kiss away one of her tears, when she turns to ask him if he wants another picture and their lips meet. He's more behind her, and neither of them is pulling away from this kiss. He wraps his arms around from behind, while she holds the phone in both hands. Something in her doesn't want to pull away or stop this kiss, so one of her hands makes its way up to his cheek. In response, one of his hands now is under her jaw, his thumb stroking her chin. The night air is chilly, and his body is incredibly warm, so his embrace only makes it that much harder to break away.

Finally, though, the hero pulls away from her, his green catlike eyes glinting in the moonbeams. She turns to face him one last time, and his thumb now rubs her bottom lip.

"I'm gonna miss you…" he murmurs.

Her shy eyes, still tearful, lower to the ground. Would Adrien be upset that she kissed Chat Noir?

She shivers now, and he knows she has to go to bed. He steps back, taking his hand away from her touch and readying to leave. Even though Marinette knows her next words aren't true, she says them anyway. "See you later, Chat Noir."

He's a bit taken aback initially, but then smirks in spite of his own tears as he leans forward to kiss her forehead. "…vanilla."

"Huh?" She's as lost as ever.

"You smell like vanilla…"

Her brows knit together as her heart races faster.

"Never mind. Just me rambling. Anyway, take care, Mari."

Chat Noir stands before the mirror in his room in the deep of the night. He stares at the ring on his finger, knowing he has to take it off now.

"Goodbye, Plagg…" he whispers to the ring.

He starts to slide it off.

"Goodbye, Chat Noir," he says to the mirror.

He inhales, pausing at the last inch before the ring is off and he has to go back to being Adrien forever. He thinks of Ladybug, closing his eyes and letting two tears fall down his face.

"Until next time, M'lady."