Note :

Hello !
This story is translated from french by Sundaie225. Thank you so much for your work ! I'm so happy to see this fic in english, I don't even know what to say :D . Thank you !

If you liked this story, please do not forget to thank Sundaie225 for the translation ^^

Original story : Mindell, "Inquiétudes fraternelles"
Available in french on my account

"Are you sure about your decision?" Master Fu asked the two heroes who stood before him.

"Certain." replied Ladybug, hands firmly placed on her hips.

With her assured attitude, her chin raised high and her blue eyes sparkling with fierce determination, the heroine of Paris was the poster image of self- confidence. As soon as she finished talking, she glanced over at the young man dressed in black who listened attentively, stood at her side.

Cat Noir ran his fingers through his blonde fringe in a seemingly detached gesture, but his eyes carried the same look of conviction as did those of his partner's.

"We've thought a lot about it," he said, nodding in agreement. "It's about time that we renounced our Miraculous."

"I suppose that absolutely nothing I say would persuade you to change your mind?" The Great Guardian sighed, tone resigned.

"No," retorted Cat Noir with a voice that didn't leave much room for doubt. "You have to understand that it's been years since we became heroes. Personally, I don't regret it, but it's high time we passed onto other things."

"Being Ladybug was the most extraordinary thing that could have ever happened to me," added his partner with poorly hidden passion. "But we have to be realistic. I've been struggling with conciliating my studies with my heroic duties. I've lost track of how many exams I've had to miss because I was distracted by a supervillain who decided to make an appearance!"

"Same goes for me," Cat Noir agreed with a grimace.

"Without counting the fact that… well, I've always dreamt of travelling," Ladybug continued, her eyes full of longing. "I haven't dared to leave Paris in years and now I… I have an opportunity to go for an internship in Italy. It's an amazing occasion! But it's not at all compatible with my role as a heroine…" she trailed off, blushing lightly under her mask.

"Say no more," Master Fu reassured her with a warm smile. "I understand completely. I've already asked you for too much. You both have guarded Paris for years, and now you definitely deserve to finally live your…"

A sudden explosion interrupted Master Fu's words. The sound was deafening; the old man threw a tired look at the window, immediately spotting a column of smoke that rose above the roofs of Paris.

"I'm afraid that the rest of this conversation will have to wait," he sighed, fatigue evident in his voice. "Go ahead," he continued, excusing the two heroes with a small gesture of his hand. "I'll find you after everything has run its course."

A few hours later, loyal to his word, Master Fu arrived at the Agreste family mansion and amicably presented himself to Natalie.

The latter made a point to assure his presence was not unwelcome in the area, not without a dubious glance at the Hawaiian shirt that the old man wore. After receiving confirmation that this strange man's visit was well anticipated, she led him to a room where her illustrious employer's son waited, then turned on her heel and distanced herself at a brisk pace.

Master Fu thanked her and closed the door gently behind her.

His eye trailed over his surroundings for an instant, taking in the sleek furniture, the shelves piled with books, and the handsome desk that took up the centre of the room. Eventually, he turned his attention to the young man who faced him, stood in front of a large window.

Aged a little over 20, the heir of the Agreste family emanated a mien of calm that would have given the infamous cold-bloodedness that was a prominent feature of his father's a run for its money. This apparent aloofness could have even passed for indifference, had it been lacking the intensity with which his blue rimmed grey eyes shone.

Arms crossed, his fingers playing absentmindedly with the ring that he wore on his right hand, the young man greeted the Great Guardian with a small gesture of his head.

"Felix," Master Fu started, sounding rather satisfied. "I'm glad to see that the little… incident, from earlier, hardly posed any difficulties for you."

"It was nothing," confirmed his host, nodding. "You can speak freely here," he added, gesturing towards their surroundings with a small wave of his hand. "Nobody will hear us, and Plagg will let us know if someone approaches."

"Why is it always up to me to do all the work…" whined a small, black creature, laboriously extracting himself from one of Felix's pockets.

"Because you're so gifted," the young man sighed, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "How could we possibly not require your highly valued help? Anyway, let's get back to the purpose of your visit," he started, fixing a determined gaze on his visitor, all while raising his hand in front of him.

Briefly, he moved his long, thin fingers, making the rays of the sun bounce off the ring he wore.

"The moment has come for me to return my Miraculous," said Felix, voice resolute. "Plagg and I have already discussed it; we both agree that it's time for me to turn over a new leaf. I really appreciated the trust that you both put in me, and I won't deny that these past few years have brought me more than I could have ever imagined," he continued, with a small nod towards his Kwami. "I've evolved. Ripened. But being Cat Noir, it… it's time-consuming," the young man sighed, subconsciously tightening the tie that he wore over his shirt, paired with a vest. "An investment; combats, sacrifices. It's being chained in Paris without the possibility of going anywhere, even for a few days," he managed in one breath.

Felix paused for a moment, letting his gaze wander through the room. When his eyes settled on a photograph in which two blonde boys smiled joyously, a nostalgic smile painted itself slowly on his lips.

"Before, I was motivated enough to accept all these constraints," he said, voice pensive, "but that motivation is no longer there. I'm tired, Master Fu," he confided in a low voice, all while locking his grey eyes onto those of his visitor's. "I think I've fought well and hard enough. I want to be able to live my life."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Asked the Great Guardian, sending a piercing look the young man's way.

"Certain," Felix retorted lively, a reproachful expression drawn on his face of an ethereal pallor. "It wasn't a decision taken lightly."

"I don't doubt that for a second," Master Fu acknowledged, a small smile on his face. "That wouldn't be like you."

"Exactly," affirmed Felix, tone firm. "These years have been extraordinary, and I will never regret having experienced them, but right now, I feel like passing onto other things. I no longer want to be Cat Noir."

"I understand you completely," the Great Guardian replied immediately. "However, I… have a last request to ask of you," he finished, embarrassment tainting his voice.

Surprised, Felix lifted his head.

"A request?" He echoed, intrigued, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes," confirmed Master Fu, taking a step towards the young man. "You see, I've already scoped out potential successors… for you and Ladybug," he explained, addressing Felix with his finger. "A boy and a girl who would both make extraordinary heroes, worthy of the ones you and Ladybug were."

Evidently embarrassed, the Great Guardian paused for a minute.

"But…?" Felix prompted, crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

Master Fu let out a deep sigh, then gently shook his head.

"There's no worry concerning Ladybug's replacement," he eventually continued. "To be honest, I've already passed your ex-partner's earrings onto her," he added with a small smile. "She should be, at this very moment, getting to know her Kwami and her new role as a superhero. No, the problem lies with the future Cat Noir."

An expression of deep incomprehension immediately painted itself on Felix's features.

"I thought you had already found somebody?" He asked, perplexed.

"Oh, I have," Master Fu laughed abruptly. "No worries there. The young man that I've decided to entrust the future of the ring of Cat Noir to will be perfect for the role. It's just that…"

"It's just that what?" Felix insisted, drumming his fingers against his arm.

Even though years of service as a hero had greatly softened his character, Felix nonetheless remained someone whose patience has serious limits.

And the young men felt that these limits were approaching rather fast.

He knew all too well the pronounced taste that Master Fu had for mysteries of all types. For nebulous explanations, for the retention of information that he deemed unimportant. These little mannerisms that the old man had had earned Felix and his partner long months spent in the most profound blur when it came to their role as superheroes. They had both mysteriously received their magic jewellery and had to learn how to use them all on their own, without any other hints or instruction than the advice that could be handed out to them by their Kwamis.

"Just that he's not… available. Not for the moment, at least." The Great Guardian explained eventually, tiredly. "I can't really tell you much more, but I'll need you to keep your role for a little more time," he concluded, levelling an imploring look at his host. "Just until he can relive you of it."

Felix shook his head pensively, finally understanding where Master Fu was coming from.

To say that he was delighted to learn this would have been a blatant exaggeration. Cat Noir represented an important part of himself that, right now, he just wanted to get rid of as fast as possible. A duty that he'd otherwise appreciated, but that was now nothing more than a burden. A new leaf that he couldn't wait to turn before finally taking full control of his life.

On the other hand, he had to admit that the situation was far from being over.

Sure, he was eager to find a way of life as normal as could possibly be for one of the sons of the well-known Agreste family. But on the other hand, he hadn't yet reached the point where the simplest thought of continuing as a superhero was unbearable.

And, as worrying as it may be, the Great Guardian's request was not illogical. Who better to shoulder the responsibility of being the hero of Paris while waiting for the new Cat Noir than him? He'd carried the Miraculous for years, now. He could carry it for a little longer, no problem.

"Very well," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can stay Cat Noir until my successor becomes 'available'. I suppose it's a matter of only a handful of days?" He asked, shooting the Great Guardian a questioning look.

Felix was suddenly seized by a terrible presentiment upon seeing the contrite expression that surreptitiously slid into place on his visitor's face.

"W…weeks?" he said, hesitantly, hardly daring to imagine that the Great Guardian could possibly ask him for more time before he was finally allowed to give up his role.

The embarrassed look that Master Fu threw him confirmed his worst fears.

"No… MONTHS?" The young man exclaimed, thunderstruck. "Listen," he managed, raising his hands defensively. "I don't mind admitting that Paris needs two superheroes, but can't you honestly find someone else? Another replacement while we wait for the real one, or even better, another Cat Noir altogether?"

"I'm sorry, Felix," the Great Guardian said, shaking his head. "I'm all out of options. Consider this to be, at the very least, an excellent opportunity to pass on your knowledge," he concluded with a malicious wink.

Felix froze instantly, Master Fu's words from earlier hitting him as abruptly and intensely as a bolt of lightning tearing up the night sky.

The earrings of his ex-partner were already in the hands of the future heroine of Paris. This meant that he, without a doubt, was going to have to learn to cooperate with a partner different from the one he'd fought alongside from the beginning.

"If I'm understanding you well," he grit out, voice low and dangerous, "you're asking me to not only continue being Cat Noir, but also shape and train the new Ladybug?"

"Who better than you to help her take on her new role?" The Great Guardian affirmed, expression much too satisfied looking for Felix's taste. "She won't have to fumble with her role as much as you and your partner did when you first took on the job. You know," said the old man, confidently, "it's rare that heroes get the opportunity to acquaint themselves with their succeeding or preceding generations. Most of the time, they're confined to one another, like you and Ladybug were when you received your Miraculous. It's a situation almost completely unique!"

"I'm not comfortable with people, you know that," Felix grumbled, hardly convinced by his visitor's optimism. "I told you that the day you gave me Cat Noir's ring."

"That's never prevented you from being an extraordinary hero," replied Master Fu, joyously. "Please, Felix…" he continued, voice growing serious. "I am well aware that I'm asking you for a lot, but it's only temporary. As soon as your successor is ready to become Cat Noir, you'll be able to have your life back."

For a brief moment, Felix stayed mute, incapable of responding. Just this morning, everything was crystal clear, yet at the moment everything spun around dangerously inside his head. His personal projects versus his sense of duty. His natural reserve versus the fact that he now had to familiarise himself with a complete stranger.

Each element, each thought, each argument accumulated, taking their turn to tip the scale from one side to the other.

Cat Noir or Felix.

Going through with Master Fu's request or abandoning his Miraculous.

His role as a superhero or his freedom.

"Alright," he said after a long moment. "I'll help you."

Spread out on his bed, Felix fixed his gaze on the ceiling of his massive room. The Great Guardian had been gone for hours now, and the rays of the setting sun now bathed everything in a dazzling golden glow.

The young man was conflicted.

Naturally, he easily could have refused Master Fu's demands. After so many years of service, the Great Guardian would have never wanted to deprive him of his desires in order to keep him chained to the role of Paris' protector.

But Felix's sense of duty had been stronger, and at the moment that he'd given his word, he'd put his whole heart into his work. The city would keep 'its' Cat Noir for a few more months, and the new Ladybug would gain a mentor to accompany her in her new role.

At the thought of the young girl that he had yet to meet, Felix began to wonder about his ex-partner. As usual, she'd had all the luck in the world, while he was stuck having to undergo hazardous whims. At that very moment, she must have been joyously planning her departure to Italy, while he stayed stuck in Paris.

Far from his family.

Far from his brother.

"Is everything alright?" asked Plagg suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled in the room.

"Yes, yes…" sighed Felix, passing his hand over his face in a weary gesture. "After all, it's only a matter of a couple of months."

A couple of months more that he'd spend separated from his relatives.

When, just a few weeks earlier, Gabriel Agreste had suddenly announced the need for them to move for some time to the other end of the earth in order for him to better follow the evolution of his new branch, Felix had known that he'd have a confront a difficult decision.

Follow his family or stay and protect Paris.

He hadn't hesitated for a single moment.

His duty came before everything, and he'd sacrifice his personal desires to watch over the city and fight super-villains at his partner's side. But knowing that he'd made an honourable choice didn't necessarily make things any easier in his eyes.

He missed his family.

No. Adrien, mostly.

His younger brother, who he'd never been separated from for more than a few days at most, and who he'd developed a close relationship since the disappearance of their mother.

He didn't much mind the fact that his father was absent from his life. The two hardly got along. Too cold, too distant, too clumsy with each other. Too alike. Felix was of a solitary nature, which complied perfectly with the lack of paternal affection.

However with Adrien, it was different.

Felix loved his brother, and this affection was largely reciprocated. Knowing that he was at the other end of the earth with none other than their sinister father for company hardly gladdened Felix. If he could have, he'd have accompanied them without the least bit of hesitation.

But he was Cat Noir.

And his duties came before everything.

A week passed without any super-villains or word from Master Fu. For a moment, Felix wondered if he wasn't better off contacting the Great Guardian and transforming so that he could present himself calmly to his new partner. To this new human being that he had to adjust to and who he'd have to cooperate with during battles that had yet to come.

Stood in front of his bedroom window, the young man cursed Master Fu and his offhanded manner of throwing others into the middle of a storm of problems and letting them deal with it on their own, with no additional help.

Things would have been, without a doubt, much simpler if this stubborn old man had bothered to take the time to introduce the two heroes of Paris to each other. This would have not only saved Felix the questions he now had, but also an abrupt encounter on the battlefield.

Yes, it was best if he contacted Master Fu as soon as possible.

But as if to bring life to Felix's worst fears, Hawk Moth chose that very instant to victimise another innocent. Felix heard yells rising up from a block away, unmistakably a sign that there was a super-villain present.

"Alright, Plagg," he sighed wearily, "It's time!"

Barely a handful of minutes later, Cat Noir landed smack in the middle of a cloud of fleeing Parisians. He was surveying his surroundings when a loud noise suddenly stole his attention.

"...aaaaaaaaAAAAHHHHH!"

Cat Noir furrowed his eyebrows, looking around for the origin of the scream. Of this scream, which was approaching, closer and closer, more, more, just until…

*WHACK*

Cat Noir received a massive, sudden blow to his head. The shock came with such force, such violence, that despite his superhuman skills, the young hero just barely prevented himself from collapsing. He wavered, bringing his hand subconsciously to the top of his head, while the edges of his vision veiled themselves in black.

When his vision eventually stabilised once again, his eyes rested on a slim figure dressed in red and black.

Ladybug.

His new partner, who had just made a compelling encounter with the top of his head.

"Oh! I'm… I'm sorry," Ladybug apologised, blushing furiously underneath her mask. "I'm so… so clumsy…"

Cat Noir massaged his skull as delicately as possible, trying to relieve some of the pain that still pulsed through his scalp.

"Cat Noir," he grumbled, grimacing. "Nice to meet you. I think."

"Ma- LADYBUG!" His new partner exclaimed in a shrill voice, straightening herself so brusquely that it was almost comical. "I'm Ladybug!"

While the pain caused by the impact started to finally dissipate, Cat Noir studied the newcomer with the strange sense of facing an image both familiar and yet at the same time, totally unknown.

While the girl's outfit was extremely similar to that of the ancient Ladybug's, there were still a few subtle differences that presented themselves. More black spots, less ribbons? Without counting the fact that the new heroine had hair that was clearly a lot shorter than the way his ex-partner wore it, and eyes of a much clearer blue.

But worst of all, she seemed… young.

Terribly, excessively young.

"A lassie?" Cat Noir let out, voice incredulous.

Ladybug reddened all over again, hearing the thunderstruck exclamation from her partner, except less from embarrassment this time, and more from anger.

"I'm not a lassie!" She exclaimed, outraged, all while glaring murderously at Cat Noir.

Her blue eyes threw sparks, and she proudly lifted her chin and crossed her arms in the true fashion of indignation personified.

"But of course you are!" Cat Noir retorted immediately, gesturing at her. "You're, what, eleven? I didn't know that they recruited heroes in primary school!"

"I'm fifteen," Ladybug whistled between her teeth, her fists clenched in rage. "I'm in secondary school."

Cat Noir couldn't help but send a surprised glance her way.

Fifteen.

The same age as Adrien, then.

With her frail body, her complexion akin to that of a porcelain doll, and her pigtails accentuating her youthful appearance, the girl who was now his partner gave off the impression of being much younger than she apparently was.

Cat Noir prepared to reply sharply when another cry made itself known. This one of a panicked Parisian, this time.

"Right, well, we'll discuss this a little later, lassie," he said with an insolent smile. "We have a mission to attend to."