When Adrien Returned

Chapter 1: The Fallout

Chat Noir was sitting in their usual spot looking at the sunset. With a view of the Eiffel Tower in front of the warm skyline, the city looked mesmerising from up there. Chat knew he felt at home. While he was lost in the colours of the sunset which painted its skies, Ladybug swung in and sat next to him.

"Chop-chop kitty, time for patrol!" said Ladybug in a chirpy mood.

"Not today, M'lady. Today... I just feel like enjoying this Sunset right now" said Chat Noir, his ears flopped down.

Her usually loud kitty was rather quiet. This mood worried her but she thought it was one of his random burnouts after being a continuous goofball. Luckily, she knew how to cheer him up. Ladybug had a few tricks up her sleeve to herd her cat!

"Do you want to go to Andrés? We can share an ice cream if you want!" teased Ladybug.

On a normal day, Chat's ears would've propped up, but today, he looked at his dangling feet with Paris' cityscape under them and gave her a faint smile.

"Thank you, Ladybug, for everything you've done for me". A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued, trying not to choke up, "These past few years have been the best years of my life. Mostly because I got a chance to make friends for the first time in my life, and spend time with a lot of nice people... even transforming into Chat Noir and enjoying every second with Plagg. Although I think I cherished it the most because I got a chance to be with you... M'Lady"

"Oh Minou, And we will have many more years to go. So don't cry! Look at the future ahead of us. Miraculous owners that aren't decided yet! Future Villains that are yet to be akumatized! Even Shadowkmoth isn't defeated! ....Remember? It's you and me against the world, Kitty!" Ladybug was worried. She had an idea where this was headed and she wanted to do everything in her power to avoid that exact thing.

"No..."

"What do you mean Chat?!"

"No, we don't... I... I'm going to revoke my miraculous"

Chat's words hit Ladybug like knives, wounds so deep, she knew she could never heal.

"Chat.. stop ... it's not funny"

"I'm leaving Paris, for a few weeks... I don't know even if it's going to be a few weeks. It might be more than that, maybe even a couple of months...I don't know... I won't be around to save Paris, I won't be able to..."

Tears welled from deep inside and coursed down Ladybug's cheeks. As she felt the ground under her feet crumble, Ladybug leapt to cup Chat's face in her hands.

"We- we can make it work! I can give you the Horse Miraculous!! And-and we always have Miraculous Potions!! You can teleport or.. even fly here whenever you want!"

Chat Noir curls his hands into a fist hearing Ladybug's complicated schemes. Had she shown these efforts to keep him before, things couldn't be different. He could've tried to stop it. He was convinced that nothing was holding him back, nothing was keeping him here in Paris ... and now after he finally made up his mind to leave...Ladybug decided to show him the attention he always asked for. He was disappointed that it took such a huge step for her to show him the affection he always deserved!

Frustrated, he punched the concrete ledge they sat on. Ladybug gasped. She had never seen Chat so pissed.

"Ladybug, Be practical!" Chat Noir turned to Ladybug, his eyes filled with tears and his voice grew angrier.

"I will be living worlds away from Paris and you expect me to travel all the way back here!? International news doesn't ever cover Paris's attacks! Even they know Ladybug will fix everything! By the time I get the news, it will already be over! Besides, there are times when in spite of being in Paris, I was useless! Other Miraculous holders helped you before I could even reach the scene!"