Masked Permanently

Staying Positive

"So... you'd reveal your identity to me if your mask could come off?" Adrien asked, a bright smile forming on his face.

"Correct, but I've been stuck like this for almost two months. The further I get with this terrible excuse for a development, the closer to permanent this mask gets. That means it's very possible that none of these effects are irreversible in civilian form, if I even get to be a civilian again. So when I show you my real identity, you might not even recognize me anymore," Ladybug explained, walking along the sidewalk with her crush unknowingly.

Adrien's smile fell, and he looked to see how Ladybug was taking to her new lifestyle. She seemed unfazed and unworried, so he assumed that telling her family and friends her identity was probably comforting.

"So when you come back as a civilian, you would be... practically blind?" Adrien asked, his heart hurting for his partner.

"Yes. My sense of smell is nothing like seeing, but it makes things slightly easier to deal with since I can't see very well. I can see blobs of color, but it's not easy to distinguish what's what. I'm honestly not worried about my appearance anymore. It's not like I'll see it. My eyesight worsened so much during today's battle," she said, turning her head toward him.

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug. This shouldn't be happening to you. You don't deserve this," the boy shook his head.

"That's not true. I gave up on wanting to find Marinette, and now it's karma. I'll never be able to seek her out now," Ladybug gave him a sad smile.

"That's not true. You were just frustrated, but now maybe you could identify her location with your sense of smell if it's strong enough," Adrien tried to brighten things.

"I don't think it's developed enough for that," Ladybug lied, letting her gaze fall elsewhere. No scent could lead her to Marinette, no matter how developed her sense of smell was. The heroine knew her location, but bringing her back was not something she knew she could do within her knowledge.

"That's okay, LB. I'll keep looking for her," Adrien assured her, but it made her feel guilty. She already sent out a video telling people to stop looking for her, and that's all they wanted to do.

They'd probably never find her, Ladybug thought. Marinette was going to die if she didn't save her, but what could she do? Everything was worsening, and the whereabouts of the previous Ladybug was unknown. If only she could find her name, so she could look her up.

"I should probably find my way back. I'll see you for patrol on Friday, kitty," she said, turning the other direction.

"Oh, I was going to head to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery to check on Sabine. Did you want to come?" Adrien asked, somehow secretly hoping the parents would say his own name aloud and accidentally reveal his identity to her.

Ladybug really wanted to come with him and check on her mother, but maybe it was time to look for some hints on how to talk to the previous Ladybug. "My family might be getting a little worried. I should probably tell them about my further loss of vision."

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but his phone's ringtone went off. "Oh, it's my father's assistant," he mumbled, shutting it off.

"Huh?" Ladybug asked, not hearing the incoherent mumble correctly.

"Never mind. It's just a caregiver," he sighed, placing it back into his pocket, "Do you want me to walk you closer to your location? I swear I won't watch you go home."

"I'm probably okay, but thank you. I appreciate your concern, Chat. Bug out!" She smiled, using her yoyo to zip to the roof.

Luckily, with all the extra time being Ladybug and all the patrols she'd done over the past year, she had a mental map of Paris. If she was correct, she was close to her school. Her feet memorized the patterns and feelings of the roofs she usually ran across.