6- Two Goodbyes

Ladybug's POV

I head to Adrien's house. He's home now, sitting at his desk on his computer. I open the window without knocking and drop in his room, rain dripping off my suit. "Adrien—"

"Ladybug? What are you doing here?" He spins in his chair and looks at me. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk. This is serious." I grab his hand and lead him over to the couch. How can I say this without crushing Adrien's heart? "We need to break up. This will be the last time you ever see me."

His eyes widen. "What?! Ladybug, what happened?"

My shoulders shake as I sob and explain what happened with Hawkmoth's trap and the look-alike sentimonster. Adrien was doing a last-minute commercial for his father's new perfume, which is why he wasn't home earlier.

But how did Hawkmoth know that?

"Hawkmoth knows my secret identity now. It's not safe to be Ladybug anymore. It's not safe for me to be with you." I grab Adrien's hand. "We... we can't be together anymore."

"But we can fix this, Ladybug." Adrien pushes my wet bangs out of my face and I avoid eye contact as his warm hand cups my cheek. "You always fix it. Please, I can't lose you."

I close my eyes and feel a tear sneak down my face. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, but everyone I love is in danger because of my mistake. My family. My friends. You. I have to give up my miraculous."

Adrien shakes his head. "No. You can't!"

"I have to, Adrien!" I stand up and turn my back to him. I can't bear to look at him while I break his heart. "It's the only way to keep everyone safe. I won't be gone forever. Though, I don't know how long it's going to be. It could be days, weeks, months, or even years. I don't know. I don't know anything!" I hug myself and sob harder. "I don't know how to fix it this time and I don't think I can. As long as Hawkmoth is a threat to Paris, I can't be around. I'm sorry, Adrien. You know I would do anything—everything—if there was another way. But there isn't. It's too late to change things."

"Ladybug..." Adrien grabs my hand and spins me around, tilting my chin up to meet his eye. "I don't want to wait days or weeks or months or years. I don't want you to go. I don't care. I don't care how dangerous it is. I want you in my life. Please, tell me who you are and I'll help you. My father and I will help you. You know I'd do anything for you."

I take a step back. "No, Adrien. I can't. You can't know who I am yet. Some things are better left unspoken." I lift a hand and cradle his delicate face. "It's going to be so hard staying away from you, always wondering if you're okay or not, so a close friend of mine is going to keep an eye on you."

"Who?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," I answer and his eyes widen. "You know her, right? I'll be okay knowing she's watching over you. I don't want anything to happen to you." I wrap my arms around him and hide my face in his shirt. He smells so good.

Adrien kisses my forehead. "Goodbye, Lovebug."

"Goodbye, Buttercup."

"I love you," He whispers in my ear as I pull away.

I take in a deep breath. "Okay. Now I have to go say goodbye to someone else. Hopefully that cat will answer my call this time. Bug out, Adrien." I blow a kiss and wave as I run and jump out his window.

The rain falls harder as I call Cat Noir and leave a voicemail. "Hey, Kitty. We need to talk. Meet me at our spot." I hang up. Cat Noir and I claimed this spot on a rooftop that overlooks the Eiffel Tower. It has the most beautiful view every single night.

Cat Noir's already waiting for me as I drop down. He doesn't look happy to see me, almost like he knows what I want to talk about. "Beautiful as always, Milady," He flirts. I don't reject his hand as he grabs mine and kisses it. "But you already knew that."

"We need to talk, Cat Noir," I whisper as I gently pull my hand back. "This is serious. No messing around. No jokes or puns." I take in a deep breath and tell him, "Something happened tonight and it's going to change everything. Hawkmoth found out my secret identity."

"What? How?" He asks with wide eyes.

"Do you know Adrien Agreste, the famous model?"

Cat Noir rolls his eyes. "That boy you've been secretly dating? I've seen it all over the news."

"Kitty... Hawkmoth and Mayura created a sentimonster of Adrien and pretended to kidnap him. They lured me in a trap and I fell for it. My identity was revealed. I was able to escape, but it doesn't matter anymore. I spoke to Master Fu and I have to give up my miraculous."

"There has to be something we can do, Milady," He says and I just shake my head. "Something I can do. We can't just let things end like this! It's you and me against the world! We're a team! Ladybug and Cat Noir. The cat and bug duo."

"Cat Noir—"

"Or the bug and cat duo! We can say it whichever way you want, Bugaboo. Please." He grabs my hand. "I-I can't lose you... you don't know how bad I need you right now."

I ignore his words and hand Cat Noir the note. "Master Fu asked me to give you this. There's instructions for you and the location of his secret hideout. I can't know where is it. I'm going to give you my miraculous and you're going to bring them to him."

His eyes water. "But... no. I won't. You can't leave."

"Don't be like this!" I beg, shaking his shoulders. "Please. Please! This isn't permanent, I promise. It's just until Hawkmoth is defeated."

Cat Noir looks away, frowning. "How am I supposed to defeat Hawkmoth without Ladybug? Without you?"

"There will still be a Ladybug," I tell him. "It just won't be me."

"What?" He turns and looks at me. "So, I'm just supposed to work with someone new? A new Ladybug and pretend everything's okay?"

"My hands are tied, Cat Noir. I am so scared. I am so terrified that Hawkmoth is going to come and hurt my family because I fell for one of his dumb traps. That is my mistake and my burden to carry alone. So, if I can do something to protect the people I love, I am going to do it."

"Don't you even care?" He shouts at me. "Don't you care that you're leaving me?"

"Of course I do!" I yell back, taking a step towards him. "Leaving you will be the hardest thing I have to do! But it's not my decision to make. I'm not the guardian, yet. I don't deserve to be after what happened now. Please, you have to accept what Master Fu wants. I promise, Cat Noir. I will find a way to fix this."

Cat Noir turns his back to me. "And what if you can't?"

I don't answer him because truth is, I don't know. I don't know if I can fix this, and I don't want to give him false hope.

"Close your eyes, please," I whisper as I reach for my earrings. "I don't want you to see who I am."

"Are you serious?" Cat Noir asks, laughing. "You still don't want me to know your identity? Don't you think we're past that point?"

"No, Cat Noir. Master Fu said I shouldn't." Cat Noir faces me and I stop tugging at my earrings. "Please."

A tear sneaks down his face. "Am I ever going to find out who you are?"

"One day, my kitty." I smile. "One day. I promise. But for right now, I need you to turn around and close your eyes."

"Whatever you say, Milady." Cat Noir closes his eyes and turns around. "I respect your wishes."

"Thank you." I take in a deep breath. "Tikki, spots off." My transformation falls and Tikki falls into my hand. "I guess this is goodbye."

I take the earrings off.

Tikki smiles. "I'm going to miss you so much." She kisses my nose and nuzzles against my cheeks. "You are the best Ladybug ever."

I rub her tiny head. "It won't be long. We'll defeat Hawkmoth and we'll see each other again." This part I'm dreading the most. "Tikki, I-I... I renounce you." My kwami disappears into the earrings and I start sobbing. "Give me your hand, Cat Noir."

He holds his hand out and I drop the earrings. "How do you plan on getting down, Milady?"

"I have my ways," I say, grinning. It slowly turns into a frown. "You know I don't want this, right, Cat Noir? I would never just give you up." I grab his free hand. "You are one of the most important people in my life. I never want to stop being your friend or your partner."

"Can I face you?" Cat Noir suddenly asks. "If I use my belt as a blindfold? If we're going to say our last words to each other, I'd rather it be face to face."

I nod. "Okay, Cat Noir."

He takes the belt off around his waist and wraps it around his eyes, slowing spinning around. He trips and falls into me and I catch him. We both start laughing. "I guess you could say I'm falling for you, Milady."

"Haven't you made that joke before?" I tease, rolling my eyes.

"Probably." He laughs and reaches for my hand. "I know this is a weird request, and you'll probably say no, but if we might not see each other for months—"

"What is it, Kitty?" I ask, tucking a stand of blonde hair behind his ear.

Cat Noir starts to purr and I feel my cheeks burn red. He clears his throat. "I-I want something to remember you by. Something I can think about every morning and every night, at any single time in the day."

I know what he's asking for.

"Do you think maybe we could—"

Before Cat Noir can finish his sentence, I grab his face and pull him in, planting a kiss on his—surprisingly—soft and familiar lips. A small gasp escapes him, but he slowly starts moving in sync as we continue kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower. After a minute, I pull back, and when I open my eyes, all I wish for is to be looking into his. "Is that what you wanted, Cat Noir?"

"I, uh..." Wow. Kitty's speechless. I can't help but giggle. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Pretty much?" I repeat, laughing. I realize we're still holding hands. "Your hand's always so warm," I whisper, lifting his arm so his hand is against my cheek. "I never noticed until now."

"This is when we finally say goodbye, right?" He asks, sighing. "Go our separate ways and never see each other again." I slap his arm and he laughs. "I'm just kidding."

"I'm going to miss you." I throw my arms around Cat Noir, hugging him, and bury my face into the crease of his neck. I'm going to miss this. "You think I can use your staff real quick to get down?"

Cat Noir reaches behind his back and hands it to me. "Anything you want, Milady. Sure you can handle it?"

"I wielded the cat miraculous before, remember?" I remind him as I extend his staff towards the ground. He holds it steady for me. "Goodbye, Cat Noir."

He waves. "Goodbye, Ladybug."

Without a second thought, I grab the staff and slide down, gasping and preparing myself to hit the ground. I trip and fall forward, landing in a pile of trash. I look up. Cat Noir still has the belt around his eyes. He's giving me a chance to get as far as possible without him discovering my identity. "Aw, kitty."

Deep down part of me does love him.

Cat Noir's POV

"Goodbye, Cat Noir."

I lift my hand, waving. "Goodbye, Ladybug."

The staff shakes against my hand as she makes her way down. I wait a good five minutes before I remove the belt. That should be enough time. I knot the belt back on around my waist and stare at the Eiffel Tower. No more patrols with Milady. For now, at least. I just have to defeat Hawkmoth. Not that it's been hard, of course, but it's going to be difficult without Ladybug. I don't know what to do. I open the note Ladybug gave me and read it.

Adrien, there is a lot to discuss, but only in person. Meet me at this location. Patrol around the city for an hour and make sure Hawkmoth and Mayura are not following you. Transform before meeting me and be careful.

I'll explain more when you get here.

-Master Fu

There's a map below his message. I know where that is. After jumping off the building, I de-transform in an alley and start heading back towards the city. An hour, huh? That's a long, long time alone with my thoughts.

Plagg floats alongside me. "Are you okay, kid?"

"I will be," I mutter, kicking a rock. "Just as soon as Hawkmoth is defeated."

"You don't have to pretend to be okay, Adrien." Plagg swoops down in my jacket and stares up at me. "I promise I won't make fun of you if you cry."

I glare down at him. "I'm not falling for that again."

My kwami starts laughing. "Okay, yeah, but last time was different. This is serious." His big, green eyes stare at me, piercing into my soul.

I look up, whispering, "You heard what Ladybug said. It's not permanent. It's just a few weeks, at most."

"Did you ignore the rest of what that bug said?" Plagg asks. "She also said it could be months or years—"

"Are you trying to put me in a bad mood?" I ask, looking around to make sure no one's following me. "Here. Shut up and eat some cheese." I hand Plagg his treat as I cross the street.

An hour later, I find the location and head inside. Master Fu is waiting for me.

"Have a seat, Adrien." Master Fu gestures to a spot on the rug beside him. "We need to talk."

***

"But without the ladybug miraculous, how will the akumas be purified?" I ask Master Fu after he tells me everything. A lot more in detail than what Ladybug did.

"I added a few updates to your staff." Master Fu turns around, holding it. "There's a new feature on here, to capture akumas. After you defeat the villain and break the object where the akuma is, press this button two times." He shows me and demonstrates. "A magical ball will appear and capture the akuma, trapping it. Then, you'll bring it to me where I will use the ladybug miraculous to purify it."

"Plagg, claws in." My transformation falls and I look up at Master Fu. "Why don't I just keep the ladybug miraculous with me? Won't that just save time?"

Master Fu shakes his head. "No, Adrien! The whole world knows now of your secret relationship with Ladybug. Hawkmoth could use that to his advantage. As long as he doesn't know you're Cat Noir, you'll be safe. For now. But carrying the two most powerful miraculous is not only reckless and dangerous, it's stupid."

"I told him it was a stupid idea," Plagg chimes in, burping.

I glare at him. "Shut up, Plagg."

"Hey." Plagg holds up his tiny paws in defense. "I'm just saying."

"Well, stop saying, or no more cheese." I lean forward and give him another cheese wheel. "What if I came here and switched to the ladybug miraculous when an akuma attacks? That way I'd be able to purify the akuma right away."

Master Fu nods. "That is a good idea, Adrien, but you can't waste time coming all the way here just to switch a miraculous. You don't know how much damage could be done."

There's still something wrong. "But what about the lucky charm? How will the miraculous ladybugs fix all the damage once the akuma is purified?"

"Hmm..." Master Fu grabs his chin, thinking. "For now, I'll keep an eye on the news and watch for any updates. If Hawkmoth attacks Paris, I'll use the ladybug miraculous myself and create a lucky charm. Thanks to my age and wisdom, it shouldn't go away after five minutes. That way after the villain is defeated, no damage should stay permanent."

"It's going to be so much harder defeating a villain by myself," I start, bringing myself courage to ask. "I know you trusted Ladybug with this, but would I be able to use other miraculous to bring back past superheroes? Rena Rouge? Carapace? Even Queen Bee?"

"No, Adrien." Master Fu shakes his head. "You don't know their secret identities- except Chloe- and I'm not going to risk anything by telling you. If it comes down to that, then yes, but for now we have to work with what we have: you."

All of this was so much easier with Ladybug around.

"If we need Mister Bug, it'll be much safer to come here and use the ladybug miraculous under my watch. At least until I find a temporary replacement. No matter how bad you want to, Adrien, you cannot try and find out Ladybug's identity. The timing is not right. You must be patient."

"I know, Master Fu." I lower my head. "Ladybug already explained it to me."

Master Fu sits in front of me. "I don't usually give this type of advice, but..." He takes in a deep breath. "All those close friends you have? You need to take a step back from them."

"What? I have to give up my friends?" I shake my head. "No! Take my miraculous if you want, but I am not giving up my friends!" I am not giving up Marinette, and Nino, and Alya, and everyone else.

Especially Marinette.

"I'm not saying to push your friends away," Master Fu continues. "But you are in a very delicate and dangerous situation. Your friends could get hurt."

"Thanks for the advice, Master Fu, but me losing my friends is not an option." I stand up.  "It's getting late. I should go home now."

He bows his head. "Goodnight, Adrien. Be careful."

"I will, Master Fu." After I enter the second room, I transform back into Cat Noir. "Plagg, claws out!" I could go home, but I don't want to. Not yet, anyway. I hate being there. Every second I'm there I lose a part of myself. That's why I love being Cat Noir. He gives me this freedom I've never had before. Without the cat miraculous, I don't think I'd ever see anything besides my bedroom walls, and I have Ladybug to thank for that. For making being a superhero fun and teaching me how to be a great one. She's gone now, though, and it feels like I have nothing left. Well, except...

Is that Marinette?