Chapter Text
“Jesus fucking Christ .”
The city was in ruins in front of Chat Noir as he leaned against a chimney on a rooftop, panting from over exhilaration. The akumatized victim proclaimed themself as Task Master – why. Chat Noir didn't know – and was currently in the process of electrically-freezing everyone on the streets of Paris. They were a hundred feet tall, towering over most buildings and stomping through the streets, destroying recreation centers and coffee shops. Entire office buildings were glowing in a blue electric hue, trapping its inhabitants inside, any anyone not currently in a place of work (so it seemed) was zapped with the same blue electricity from Task Master’s fingertips and frozen in place.
Neither Chat Noir or Ladybug had figured out what the akumatized object was, but already had needed to retransform twice due to the Kwamis losing energy. Ladybug still hadn’t re-emerged, and Chat Noir had been bouncing around for the last few minutes trying to minimize Task Master’s attacks with little luck.
Just as Chat Noir thought he had rested enough to spring back into action, Ladybug landed on the roof next to him. He stood up straight next to her, watching Task Master crumple cars beneath his feet, put holes through buildings, and shoot lightning from his hands. Sighing, Chat Noir extended his staff.
“This is a cat astrophe.”
“Pretty sure you used that one today already, Kitty.”
“Well its accurate!” He turned his head down to look at her, a resolved expression on his face. “You think we need help with this one?”
After looking from him to the city, Ladybug nodded. She swung her yo-yo and it hitched onto a building in the distance. “Who do you think we could use?” Chat Noir forced himself not to stare at the way she was so effortlessly hanging from her yo-yo, one foot crossed over the other as she looked at him expectantly.
"Definitely Carapace, we could use those shields right about now."
Nodding, Ladybug positioned herself to take flight. “Got it.”
Just as her feet were about to leave the ground, Chat Noir got an idea.
“Wait!”
Ladybug turned to look at him.
He smiled devilishly. “You know who we could really use right now?”
***
Working with Rena Rouge and Carapace was always a blast. The four of them worked together so effortlessly, as if they had known each other for years, always anticipating what the other would do next. As much as Chat Noir loved working with Ladybug alone, it was always a lot of fun (not to mention a lot easier) completing a mission with other Miraculous holders.
“Wait, why are we going this way?”
“Because Task Master needs to walk into the trap.”
“What trap?”
“My illusion, Carapace!”
“When did you do that?”
“When you and Chat Noir were attacking the akuma!”
Stifling a laugh, Chat Noir peered over the ledge of the rooftop the three of them were hiding on at Task Master, who was currently walking toward the seven story spa that Rena Rouge had created. Ladybug swung strategically behind him, keeping herself outside of Task Master’s peripheral vision. After a few moments, she paused and swung her yo-yo in the air twice before continuing her pursuit.
“That’s our cue, let's go,” Chat Noir said, pulling up Carapace by the shell. He looked over his shoulder. “Rena, remember to-”
“I know, stay here.”
“Until signaled.”
“Got it.”
The two of them flew through the air, over buildings and across alley ways until they were at the base of the parking garage that Rena Rouge had created her illusion around. Chat Noir craned his head to peer at the five story garage before pouncing, with a little help from his staff, to the top floor. Carapace wasn't far behind him, and the two of them watched Task Master approach in a rampage, straight for the parking garage/spa.
“What's your theory?” Carapace whispered as they waited for Ladybug to signal them again. “I think he just got fired so he's pissed at anyone voluntarily not working.”
Chat Noir chuckled. “Maybe it's the opposite. He hates work so much that anyone who does it now has to do it forever as punishment.”
“Hell yeah,” Carapace said. “Communist akuma.”
“Kind of ironic that he’s destroying all of these office buildings, then,” Chat Noir mused.
“Hey, why stop at capitalism? Let’s destroy everything.”
A soft thud behind drew them from their conversation.
“What are you guys doing?” Ladybug asked as she walked towards them.
“Uh, waiting for your signal?” Carapace replied.
“I gave the signal two minutes ago!”
Chat Noir looked back out at the city. “But he's not even here yet?”
“Yeah, well we overlooked a major flaw in our plan. We don't know where the akuma is.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah.”
Carapace looked between the two of them. “Soooo what should we do?”
After thinking for a moment, Ladybug said, “The two of you go out and try to attack him. Make it obvious. I'll stay here and watch what he tries to protect, hopefully that will give us a clue.”
“You got it, LB.”
Chat Noir turned to jump out of the unguarded window, mentally planning their path as he looked out.
“Carapace,” he heard Ladybug say. Hushed tones erupted behind him, piquing Chat Noir’s interest, so he turned his head just enough to see Carapace and Ladybug behind him. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could tell that they were huddled together, discussing something secretive. After a moment of this, Carapace saluted Ladybug, who subsequently ran off and flung herself from the window of the parking garage up onto the roof.
His mood soured slightly, Chat Noir led Carapace to the roof of a nearby building that Task Master had yet to pass.
“Okay,” he said. “Where should we target first? You think the akuma is in something he's wearing?”
“Probably,” Carapace said, scanning Task Master as he approached. “He's got on a watch, that could be it. Maybe that hat he’s wearing, too.”
Chat Noir nodded. “Focus on the front, waist up, got it.”
Leaping into action, the two of them cut like missiles through the air, circling around each other as if they were fighting over orbital control. When they approached Task Master, Chat Noir extended his staff and struck him straight in the chest. The roar that escaped the hundred-foot man pierced through the air; Chat noir felt his ears lower, protecting his eardrums from the damaging screech.
“Get back to work!” A rumbling voice commanded, lifting his hand. Chat Noir skidded out of the way, clinging onto the massive folds of Task Master’s uniform.
“Chat Noir!” He looked down to see Carapace standing in the cuff of Task Master’s sleeve, waving his arms to get Chat Noir’s attention. “The watch!”
Jumping from the breast pocket of his shirt, Chat Noir leaped toward’s Task Master’s extended arm. He lifted his staff above his head and brought it down swiftly onto the glass surface of the watch.
“Fuck!” Chat Noir yelled when the face didn’t crack. He sprung from the metal strap onto Task Master’s shoulder as he attempted to get Ladybug’s attention.
“No!” Task Master yelled, clutching his chest.
Panicked, Chat Noir scanned the air for Carapace. There! He had spotted him, climbing up the Task Master’s sleeve. Chat Noir’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, what had just happened?
Jumping down onto the top of the massive nametag on Task Master’s breast, Chat Noir waved to Carapace, when suddenly a deep grumble erupted from Task Master’s chest as he smacked his chest once again, sending Chat Noir flying. In a stroke of luck, Chat Noir grabbed onto his collar before once again striking the face of the watch with his staff.
Aha! It cracked! Chat Noir whooped with momentary glee, which immediately evaporated with the absence of a black butterfly flittering out of its cage.
“Not the watch!” Chat Noir shouted to Carapace, who cursed in response.
“Back to work!”
Before Chat Noir could react, an enormous finger crackling with electricity was headed his way. He was a deer caught in headlights, unable to move and unable to act. Bracing for impact, he cowered in his place and squeezed his eyes shut.
There was a pause, longer than Chat Noir would have expected, and when he reopened his eyes there was Carapace with a glowing green shield around the two of them.
“Thanks man,” Chat Noir breathed before frantically raising his staff to call Ladybug.
“We could use some help here,” he said once she answered.
“I’m trying ,” Ladybug shouted.
“Where's that famous Bugaboo vision?”
Carapace grunted. “I thought you guys weren't together.”
“We aren't, don't call me that,” Ladybug said, a trace of affection in her tone.
In the distance, Chat Noir heard her call her lucky-charm command.
“Well?” He asked, motioning for Carapace to follow him onto Task Master’s shoulder. The akumatized man had continued on his trek to the “spa,” moving through the street at what felt like a thousand miles an hour.
“It's a...giant credit card?” A massive red and black spotted card was in Ladybug’s hand when Chat Noir looked up at her. He chuckled, silently wishing her luck on figuring out that they were supposed to do with that.
The force field around them had simmered away, leaving Carapace panting as he tried to hold his balance. Spotting a telephone pole close to them, Chat Noir nodded to it.
“We’re heading to solid ground, meet us there!”
“Chat! I got it!”
The call ended, and Chat noir ran across the rounded backside of Task Master’s collar, Carapace right on his heels. Bracing himself, Chat Noir retracted his staff as he leaped from Task Master’s shoulder, then extended it to propel him the distance it would take to reach the telephone pole.
Before he could turn back around, Ladybug had materialized next to him holding a comically large plastic credit card. He burst out into laughter, flicking the surface of the card with his claws.
“What’s the limit on this thing?”
Ladybug smirked up at him. “Enough to pay off American medical debt.”
“Burn.” He turned around to where Carapace was still stranded on the shoulder of Task Master, trying to calculate a way to help his colleague onto the telephone pole. Task Master was moving at a much slower speed that he thought, now that Chat Noir was looking from an objective point.
“Carapace!” Ladybug yelled to him. “Stay there!”
“Where?”
“There!”
“Here?!”
Ladybug laughed. “Trust me!”
“Hiya crazy cats,” Rena Rouge said as she joined them on the now cramped landing on the telephone pole.
“It’s the name tag,” Ladybug said, pointing to Task Master who had nearly passed them at this point, with Carapace looking around frantically waiting for his next command. “That’s what he was protecting.” She turned to Rena Rouge, offering her the lucky charm. “Use this. It’s too dangerous to try and destroy the name tag while it’s still attached. Get inside his shirt and get it off from the inside.”
“You got it, Ladybug,” Rena Rouge said, grasping the credit card as she lept to join Carapace on Task Master’s shoulder.
“Protect Rena, Carapace!” Ladybug shouted with her hands cupped around her mouth. He sent her a salute and followed Rena Rouge, jumping into the collar of Task Master’s shirt.
“Can you follow them from the ground?” She looked at Chat Noir as she secured the chord of her yo-yo to the telephone pole.
“You know I can,” Chat Noir said as he positioned himself to jump.
“Wait, Chat!”
He looked up at her. “Yes m’lady?”
“Don't destroy it when it hits the ground, grab it and keep it away from him. Find me when you have it.”
He raised a curious brow. “And what will you be doing?”
She smiled down at him. “You'll see.”
With that, she was gone, and so was he.
He hit the asphalt on his feet, and immediately began running to keep with Task Master’s pace. Unearthly screams erupted from above, and Chat Noir had to resist the urge to cover his ears with his hands. He looked up in concern, seeing a battle of electric green and blue over Task Master’s chest.
Out of nowhere, Ladybug came swinging in on her yo-yo, around and around and around again. More screeches came from Task Master as his arms slowly became constricted to his sides, pinned there by the indestructible chord of the yo-yo. Chat Noir cheered as he ran, shouting encouragement at his teammates. Task Master began to thrash, back and forth, stumbling in his path. Dodging his erratic foot steps, Chat Noir kept his neck craned to make sure he didn't miss catching the nametag as it fell.
There! Out of the corner of his eye, Chat Noir spotted the glimmer of the metal nametag fly through the air to his right. He spun around, sprinting left and springing into the air and grabbing the massive piece of metal. Landing on the roof of a nearby building, Chat Noir waved the nametag in the air towards his teammates.
“Chat!” Ladybug yelled over the deafening screams of Task Master. He met her gaze, instantly knowing what she wanted him to do.
Without a second thought, he slipped the nametag onto his back and secured it in his belt before he leaped into the air once again. His breath hitched as it did everytime he watched Ladybug let go of her yo-yo, flying through the air on nothing but faith. He retracted his staff onto the wall of the building, giving him enough force to meet her in the air. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he felt her in his arms, clutching onto her waist and slinging her legs into the crook of his elbow as he pushed off of Task Master’s restrained back towards the roof. Carrying Ladybug bridal style, Chat Noir watched as Rena Rouge and Carapace ran across the yo-up's chord and back onto the telephone pole where they had originated. Carapace secured the lucky charm onto his back as Rena Rouge untangled the yo-yo.
“Get ready to jump again, Kitty.”
“ Already ready, Bugaboo.”
The chord sliced through the air, spinning Task Master in circles as it retracted back into the heart of the yo-yo Rena Rouge was holding in her hands. He screeched as he was set free, but before he could act again, the yo-yo was soaring through the air. The brick disappeared from underneath Chat Noir’s feet as he jumped through the air, Ladybug pressed to his chest, toward the yo-yo. She reached out her arms, looking like an angelic figure in the late afternoon light, and willed the yo-yo to fall into her hands. Staff extended, Chat Noir brought them back to the rooftop.
“Cataclysm!” He yelled as he flung the nametag in the air, briefly making contact with it before it disintegrated in the air.
“Time to de-evilize!” Ladybug shouted, swinging her yo-yo in the air and capturing the fluttering akuma.
Pure, bright wings re-emerged, sending a wave of relief through Chat Noir’s chest. It felt like it had been hours of fighting, he was glad that it was almost over. The sound of Carapace and Rena Rouge cheering from behind him caused Chat Noir and Ladybug to turn around and celebrate with them.
Ladybug looked up at him, and call him crazy, but he thought there was a look of affection deep in her eyes. “Shall we finish up?”
They sprung across the road and awkwardly joined Carapace and Rena Rouge on the telephone pole.
“That was awesome!” Carapace shouted, gripping Chat Noir’s shoulder as he attempted to jump up and down on the cramped surface.
“You were awesome!” Chat Noir yelled back. “I thought I was dead and here you come with that sick force field, you saved us, man!”
Rena Rouge cleared her throat expectantly, gazing up at Chat Noir from beneath her exaggerated lashes.
“And Rena,” he said, a teasing sense of sarcasm in his voice. “So patient, so poise. How’d you get the name tag off?”
“It was this crazy strong magnet holding it together,” she said. “But my sister taught me how to pick locks with credit cards, so I knew what I was doing.”
“You did great.” Chat wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a friendly hug.
“Well team,” Ladybug said, pulling the spotted credit card from Carapace’s back in one swift motion. “Here’s to another great fight. Miraculous Ladybug!”
Closing his eyes, Chat Noir felt the magical ladybugs flying around him. Their breeze intoxicated him, and when he opened his eyes again, the streets and buildings had returned to their original state. His gaze met Ladybug’s, who held his eye contact for a bit longer than was necessary. He smiled at her.
Once on the ground again, Chat Noir helped up the detransformed Task Master, who was now just an average looking guy in his late twenties wearing a McDonalds uniform.
“So what was that about?” asked Rena Rouge, her hands on her hips.
“What?” Task Master asked, rubbing his head and squinting up at the four of them.
“Are you alright?” Ladybug asked as she helped him stand up. “You were akumatized.”
“Really? Oh, man.” The man looked around, dazed and confused. “My staff wasn't listening to me, everyone decided that they were going to take their breaks at the same time and left me to deal with a rush by myself. I guess I got overwhelmed.”
Carapace laughed. “I guess so.”
“Take the rest of the day off, okay? That’s an order.” Ladybug winked at him. “Need a lift home?”
“No, I’ll be okay, thank you Ladybug and Chat Noir.” He looked at the other two Miraculous holders. “And, uh, you guys.”
With that, the man wandered off, turning the corner and disappearing from sight. A silence overcame the four of them as they watched him go, before glancing at each other after a moment too long.
“Well that was anti-climactic,” said Rena Rouge, her voice laced with playfulness.
Ladybug chuckled. “Welcome to our world. Pound it?” The four of them giggled as they went in for a group fist-bump. She took a look around the secluded side street. “We should get going before the news shows up and tries to keep up here for interviews.”
“Oh,” Rena Rouge noted, a hint of sadness in her voice. “I mean, we could stay if they need us to.”
Her necklace flashed as she said that, which provoked a laugh out of Chat Noir. “Looks like you can't. Come on, we’ll get you guys taken care of.”
“Meet back here, Chat?” Ladybug said as she began walking down the street, motioning for Rena Rouge and Carapace to follow her
He walked in her direction as well. “Sure, want me to take Carapace?”
“What do you mean?”
“I'll grab his Miraculous?”
“Why would you do that?” She had stopped walking.
Chat Noir shot her a confused look, taking an extra step before shifting toward her. “So that they don't find out each other's secret identities? Plus you don't have much time left either, Lady B., I doubt you'd be able to get both of their Miraculous’ separately before you transform back, too.”
“But you don't know their secret identities,” Ladybug stated. She looked up at him, a look of determination on her face that Chat Noir usually only saw during battle. “We need to keep each others identities as secret as possible, so since I gave them the Miraculous’, I need to get them back.” She tilted her head. “We’ve talked about this.”
Now getting frustrated, Chat Noir huffed and placed a hand on his cocked hip. “Well I think it’s only fair that since you gave them the Miraculous’. I should get them back .”
“Chat,” Ladybug sighed, looking behind her. “You know the rules.” The beeping of her earrings giving her the five-minute warning rang softly through the late afternoon air.
Letting out an exasperated laugh, Chat Noir motioned to her Miraculous. “Come on, Ladybug. You’re telling me you can separate both of them enough so they don't accidentally run into each other and collect both of their Miraculous’ in five minutes? Let me take one of them.”
“No.”
Laughing dryly again, Chat Noir looked over to Carapace for some support, only to find him and Rena Rouge awkwardly kicking the ground, sharing uncomfortable glances. Realization setting in, he nodded slowly as he turned his attention back to Ladybug. “Oh I get it,” he deadpanned. “They know who each other is.”
“Chat, can we talk about this later-”
“So what, everyone knows their identities except for me?” Motioning to himself, Chat Noir adjusted his posture, leaning closer to Ladybug and nearly towering over her. They used to be the same height, but recently he had shot up three or four inches. He usually liked their height difference, but now he just felt petty and intimidating. He looked down at her.
“I have to go, can I meet you back here?”
Stepping forward, Carapace interjected, “I can go with him, Ladybug, it’s not a big deal.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I guess I don't mind people knowing who I am.”
“I said no.” Ladybug turned back to Chat Noir. “I'll meet you back here in fifteen, okay?”
Chat Noir averted his gaze with a roll of his eyes. “Whatever.”
She swung off, followed quietly by Rena Rouge and Carapace who offered Chat Noir a timid goodbye before they left. With a huff, Chat Noir sent himself flying onto the nearest roof. His own Miraculous had began to chirp, but he couldn't bring himself to care at that moment. Stomach churning with anger, he bounced from roof to roof, not bothering to wave at the passerbyers who noticed him and shouted out his name.
The wind flustered through his air and deafened his ears as he flew through the air, until suddenly his staff retracted and he felt himself plummeting. The familiar feeling of the magic leaving his body overcame him, and he tumbled on the roof below him. He grunted as he rolled onto the hard bricks, huffing and he brushed himself off and stood up.
“You couldn't have waited a second longer?” Adrien huffed to the wearily floating Plagg.
“Sorry I’m exhausted, your honor,” he replied with a roll of his bright green eyes. He extended his paws. “Cheese, please!”
Rolling his eyes, Adrien reached in his shirt pocket and haphazardly threw a piece of camembert in Plagg’s general direction. Kicking a rock on the ground, he let out a short yell in frustration.
Plagg laughed. “Someone needs a cat-nap.”
“Who made her queen of the damn world?” Adrien shouted, turning around to look at Plagg. “We’re supposed to be partners! And she doesn't even trust me to know their secret identities?”
Shrugging, Plagg chewed the cheese in his paws. “I don't know what you're so upset about. Having responsibilities sucks, plus not knowing is fun.”
“Yeah,” Adrien huffed sarcastically. “ Fun .” He sat down, leaning around the ledge of the building. “What if I need to get them the Miraculous one of these days? Shouldn’t I know who they are?”
“Don't get your panties in a twist,” Plagg said, floating down to rest on Adrien’s shoulder. “It's not like they know her identity.”
“So what? Why am I the only one who doesn't know?”
“It's not like you even know where Master Fu’s house is anyway.”
Groaning, Adrien said, “Shut up. ”
“Don't have a tantrum, kid,” Plagg said with a laugh. “It's not all it’s cracked up to be. Be glad you don't have all that responsibility.”
“Claws out.”
“Hey, I'm not finished-”
After his transformation had completed, Chat Noir sat there on the rooftop of a building he didn't recognize, pondering his role on the team and his existence and what-not. Frustration rumbled in his gut, and he ignored Ladybug’s call when she rang him, snapping his staff shut with one motion. After that grueling fight and his spat with Ladybug, he really was not in the mood to see her again today.
That didn't stop her from finding him anyway. He looked up at her after she landed on the roof, sending her a quick glare before looking down at his hands.
“You could have answered the phone,” she said softly, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“You could have taken the hint.”
She sighed, extending her hand down to him. He gazed up at her, not taking her invitation.
“Come on,” she said. “Let's go.”
“Where?” He spat back.
“To Master Fu’s.”
He took a long moment to stare at her before looking at his knees folded in front of him, picking at an invisible loose thread. “Why don't you go by yourself since you’re so keen on doing everything without me?”
“Because I want you to come with me.”
After a moment of thought, Chat about begrudgingly stood up, motioning for Ladybug to lead the way, since he apparently had no idea where they were going in the first place.
***
He's not sure where they came from, but Ladybug had materialized two floor length, hooded coats for them to wear. She had told him that they couldn't go to Master Fu’s while transformed so that they didn't compromise his location in case Hawk Moth was still watching them, and they (of course ) couldn't know each other’s identities They walked on opposite sides of the street, cloaked in black hoods with their Kwami’s hiding respectively in their hoods. He watched her walk, wishing she would turn his way so he could catch a glimpse at her unmasked face, but she (of course) never did. Instead, he observed all of the unsheathed parts of her that he could. She walked with grace despite her tripping over her feet every once and a while, her nails were painted yellow, and her shoes were pink high tops. He recognized those shoes, Adrien thought silently to himself, but he couldn't quite place where or when he had seen them. Probably in some catalog.
As an apology, Adrien had given Plagg a second piece of camembert to munch on as they walked.
“Do you think Master Fu will let us into see the other Kwamis?” Plagg asked, a sense of excitement riddling his question.
“Who is ‘us?’”
“Me and Tiki!”
“Ladybug and I have to transform before we go inside.”
“Oh.” Plagg huffed. “That’s stupid.”
Letting out a humorless chuckle, Adrien agreed.
“I guess I forgot what it’s like being new to this,” Plagg sympathized as they walked along the street. “I mean,” he flew in front of Adrien, scarfing down the last of his cheese. “It's been millions of years since I started! Give me a break, alright?”
Smiling softly, Adrien said, “It's alright, Plagg.” He knew that his Kwami felt bad about his insensitivity and this was his way of expressing it, and the initial rage that Adrien had felt earlier had worn off so he was in a more forgiving mood. He glanced across the street to Ladybug, who kept her face concealed in her hood. Embarrassment wracked his body as he looked at her, thinking back to their argument in front of Rena Rouge and Carapace. He ducked his head in shame.
After a few minutes of walking, Ladybug shouted for him to go around the building they had approached and back up until they met up. He did, finding it a little strange, but he did. The evening light illuminated the small alleyway courtyard that lead to the entrance of Master Fu’s house, and Adrien admired it as he back up.
Suddenly, he felt a body bump against his own, and a small hand reach out and touched his cloaked back. His breath hitched, and he extended an arm behind him as well, softly gripping the wrist of the hand touching him.
“Chat?” Ladybug asked quietly, as if she wasn't entirely sure if it was him.
“I'm here,” he said, his fingers tingling at the touch of her bare skin. He thought back, trying to remember a time where he had touched her without his hands being clad with leather, decorated with claws. There wasn't a time like that that he could remember. He held on a second longer than he needed to. She pulled away.
“Let’s transform.”
Quietly, the two of them said their commands. As he transformed, Chat Noir could feel the warmth of the humming Miraculous behind him. Turning around a moment or two after their transformations were complete, they looked at each other. Chat Noir smiled.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” Ladybug glanced at him, up and down. “You're in a better mood?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Chat Noir averted his gaze. “Yeah, I guess.”
When he looked back at her, she was holding out a clasped hand to him. Confused, Chat Noir held out his own hand to hers, and the two Miraculous landed perfectly in his palm. He looked up at Ladybug.
“What’s this?”
“You can return them to Master Fu, if you want.”
“Really?”
She gave him a restrained smile. “Yeah.”
A rap on the door. It opened a bit, then flung open.
“Mar-” Master Fu stopped, his eyes shooting to Chat Noir. “Ladybug, Chat Noir, hello.”
“Hello Master Fu,” Chat Noir said with a smile.
There was a pause. Master Fu opened the door, welcoming them into his home. “Please,” he said, setting aside to let them enter. “Come in, come in.”
The two of them filed in, and Chat Noir was overwhelmed by the sweet smell of spice in the air. Plagg was right; he had never been to Master Fu’s house, but it looked the way that he had imagined it in his dreams, with the eastern Asian tapestries on the walls and a large bamboo mat in the center of the room. A small coffee table hovered closely above the ground, a steaming teapot sitting in its center. One thing Chat Noir hadn’t expected was the large, old fashioned record player sitting on the back wall of the room, an orange sunbeam illuminating it. Charmed, Chat Noir took Master Fu’s invitation to sit down on the mat.
“Would you two like some tea?” He asked, not waiting for an answer before he poured both of them a cup.
“Thank you,” Chat Noir remarked before taking a sip. The liquid burned his tongue, and he made a face before pulling back.
Master Fu chuckled. “You don’t like it, Chat Noir?”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No, no, it’s just a little hot.”
“Ah,” his Master replied. “It is tea! If it’s not hot, you’re not drinking it right!” He looked between the two of them, and Chat Noir glanced to his left at Ladybug as well. “So,” Master Fu strained as he sat down. He took a sip out of his own cup sitting in front of him. “What brings the two of you here together.” A concerned look overtook his expression. “There wasn’t a problem with the Miraculous, was there?” He looked at Ladybug. “Did Hawk Moth get a hold of one?”
“No, nothing like that,” Ladybug laughed. Her eyes met Chat Noir’s.
He opened his hand, extending the two pieces of jewelry to Master Fu. A wave of relief washed over his face, and he grunted as he stood up, fiddling with the record player for a moment before revealing a wooden box in the shape of an octagon. Chat Noir tracked the box with his eyes as Master Fu brought it to the coffee table and sat down once again, opening it for him to look inside. There were half a dozen Miraculous’ in the box, with two open spots. Gaping at the jewelry for a moment, Chat Noir placed the necklace and the bracelet on the velvet. Master Fu removed the bracelet from the Miraculous box and slid it over his wrist, then repositioned the Fox’s necklace before shutting the box.
“Ladybug, will you return the box for me? An old man like me can only stand up once every ten minutes.” He laughed at himself, sliding the box across the table for Ladybug to take. As she did so, Master Fu turned his attention to Chat Noir, cupping his hands around the handleless teacup. “Something troubles you, Black Cat. Why are you here?’
Looking down at his hands, Chat Noir slowly spun the hot cup in circles on the table, leaving behind a streak of condensation. “It seems stupid now.”
“Nothing is stupid,” said Master Fu. “Stupidity is only the ignorance of the unknown. What’s on your mind?”
Chat Noir looked up to Ladybug, who had her back to him as she placed the Miraculous Box in the record player, hoping she would speak for him and suddenly becoming embarrassed all over again. He readjusted his feet underneath his weight.
“Sometimes,” he started, returning his eyes to his tea. “It feels like the more I learn about the Miraculous, the less I understand.” This was an understatement, and not exactly answering the question, but it was a start. At last, he met Master Fu’s gaze.
“It can be confusing.” Nodding, Master Fu took a sip of his tea. “I have been a Guardian of the Miraculous for over a century, and there are still things that even I do not know. Learning the wonders of their world takes time, and it is not abnormal to become frustrated.” The intent look he was giving Chat Noir felt to him like Master Fu was looking directly into his soul, reading his every vulnerability, his every weakness. “You have been frustrated before, but never have found yourself on my doorstep. Can I ask what is bothering you this time, young one?”
Ladybug returned to her seat next to him, and Chat Noir glanced at her before turning back to Master Fu. “I suppose,” he said, trying to sound as passive as possible. “I don’t understand the reason I am not entrusted with...facilitating who receives a Miraculous.” This was the nice was of asking, ‘Why are you playing favorites with Ladybug?’ He ducked his head once again, embarrassed to be thjnking that in her presence. “It’s frustrating when I feel like I’m being left out of major decisions that we should be making together, and I’m treated as just a side kick.”
Master Fu chuckled. “I have been in your position before, and I understand how you’re feeling.” He took another sip of his tea. “Are you feeling this way because Ladybug has been the one to come and retrieve the Miraculous from me?”
“I guess.” Chat Noir sighed in residual frustration. “I just don’t understand why she can know their secret identities and I can’t. How come they get to know each other’s identities and I can’t? I just feel left out.”
From beside him, Chat Noir heard Ladybug choke on her tea. Master Fu turned to her in shock. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. “Carapace and Rena Rouge know each other's secret identities?”
She slyly jabbed Chat Noir in the ribs with her elbow. “It was a few weeks ago, we needed both of them and I didn’t have the time to get them separately. They’re the only ones who know, I promise!”
Master Fu sighed. “I suppose one slip up will not cause too much damage, but be more careful next time.” He turned back to Chat Noir. “If it makes you feel any better,” he said, a devilish smile crawling across his face. “Even I do not know who Ladybug has chosen to temporarily hold the Miraculous.” His expression turned sour as he raised his cup to his lips. “Except for that dreadful Chloe Bourgeois.”
“Why is it such a big deal, anyway? I just don’t get it, it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone.”
Master Fu pondered this for a moment before speaking again. “Perhaps not voluntarily, but you have seen the ways that Hawk Moth has manipulated the citizens of Paris to get what he wants. What if that were to happen to you? Or Carapace? Or even Ladybug? It would be very dangerous for multiple people to know who you really are.” He set down his tea cup with a clatter. “It has been this way for generations, millenia. None of the past Miraculous bearers knew who the others were, either, at least not for long. Nothing has changed.”
The annoyance of knowing that this explanation was perfectly rational crept over Chat Noir as he tried to articulate his grievances of the day, but nothing came to mind, at least nothing that made any sense. He sighed in reluctant submission.
“I’m sorry,” Ladybug spoke up. “If I was too bossy earlier. I just didn’t want them to have too much about the Miraculous revealed to them,” ‘them’ referring to Rena Rouge and Carapace.
Chat Noir nodded. “I’m sorry, too.”
“You two are a team,” Master Fu added. “You would not be able to function alone. I know it may seem like it,” he directed this to Chat Noir. “But the Miraculous requires a balance. Creation and Destruction. One cannot exist without the other, which is why it is important for you two especially to keep your identities hidden. The Miraculous of the Ladybug has not ever been in use when the Miraculous of the Black Cat has not been, which makes the bond between the two Miraculous so ironically indestructible.” Master Fu leaned over the table as if he were about to tell them a secret. “Which between the three of us, that really gets on Tiki’s nerves.”
Ladybug laughed from beside him.
“Would you excuse us, Ladybug?” Master Fu asked, polite as ever. He didn’t elaborate. A pit grew deep in Chat Noir’s gut.
“Oh,” she said, and he could see her looking over at him out of the corner of his eye. “Uh, yeah.” She stood up, looking down at them. “I’ll just be outside.”
The front door opened, then it shut. Chat Noir heard her voice say her detransformation command, and he resisted the urge to turn around and catch a glimpse of her through the window. He turned his gaze to Master Fu before reciting his own command. Plagg appeared in front of them, immediately flying down and taking a sip of Ladybug’s abandoned tea.
“Hello to you too,” Master Fu said with a laugh. “Is Adrien treating you well?’
“Not today he isn’t,” Plagg remarked through a massive gulp. “But generally, yeah. He gets me all of the cheese I could possibly dream of.” Floating over to Master Fu, Plagg rested on his shoulder. “Have I thanked you yet for placing me with such a luxurious holder, Guardian?”
“I don’t believe so.” Master Fu chuckled. “Adrien,” he started, his expression turning somber. “I do feel guilty about not being transparent with you about why I have chosen Ladybug to handle the Miraculous, so I will try to be as honest as possible now.” He reached across the table and picked up the teapot, pouring himself another cup of tea before resuming. “I chose both you and Ladybug to carry a Miraculous for the same reason; because you both are kind, gentle souls. However, once you wear the Miraculous for long enough, some of your Kwami’s characteristics do transfer onto their wearer.”
“Oh god,” Adrien said playfully, trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t tell me that.”
Chuckling, Master Fu said, “It is a blessing and a curse. You may have noticed a shift in yourself as Chat Noir; you are a supplemented version of Adrien when you are transformed, and Ladybug is the same way.” He paused, as if collecting his thoughts from an infinite bookshelf archived in his mind. “The Miraculous of the Ladybug has a certain property that I’m sure you have noticed, the skill of deductive reasoning. This is a skill that takes years to form, and it is one that is gifted to it’s holder when worn. Ladybug has shown to really excel with this gift. Problem solving is a huge factor in controlling the wearers of the Miraculous, which is why I trust her to hand them out to the appropriate people.”
Chat Noir deflated. “So you don’t trust me?”
“Of course I do!” Master Fu said through a hearty laugh. “Do you really think I would give you the most powerful Miraculous without trusting you? And don't tell Ladybug, but you do hold the most immense raw power of the two of you.” He looked down at Plagg, who had noticeably perked up. “You, don't let that get to your head.”
“Don’t worry, it’s already there, Master.”
“The thing about the Black Cat,” Master Fu continued. “Is that it, as you know, has very destructive properties which have shown a pattern of materializing in - forgive me for sounding Freudian - unconscious ways. In the past, when the wielders of the Miraculous of the Black cat have had control over the flow of the other Miraculous’, there have been catastrophic consequences. Of course, I don’t think you would purposefully put a Miraculous in the wrong hands, but it is now a rule that the Black Cat should not possess more than one Miraculous at a time. Unfortunately, this is just something that comes along with the job.” Grunting and shuffling, Master Fu stood, and took a pace to the left. “This is why I have been training Ladybug to be my successor as Guardian.”
There was a long silence as Adrien processed this news. “...What?”
Master Fu sighed. “I want to be honest with you, Adrien. There are things that are out of your control that make it dangerous to consider you for the task. Mainly, you live a very public life. If someone were to find out that Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir, the Guardian and caretaker of all other Miraculous’, do you think that would stay a secret for very long?” He didn’t wait for Adrien to answer. “On top of that, I know that you have many responsibilities as it is. You live a very busy, very productive life.” He laughed shortly. “Don’t tell her I said this, but Ladybug’s life is pretty tame compared to yours. Productivity is a blessing, and I don’t want you to think otherwise. Being Guardian takes up a lot of one's time, I would know. I have sacrificed many things that have been - and still are - important to me throughout my life to keep the Miraculous safe.” Looking somberly at Adrien, he added, “I know you have had to make many sacrifices, already. It would be such a burden on you, one that you should not have to bear.”
“Don’t you think I should have some say in this?” Adrien asked, searching for a counterargument that hardly stood on two legs.
His master hummed. “I hope that you have faith in my judgement.” Crossing his arms behind his back, Master Fu asked, “Do you trust Ladybug?”
“Of course,” Adrien replied immediately. “With my life.”
He nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. Trust is what makes your relationship as partners work. When you do not know who someone really is, it can be hard to trust them, I understand that.” There was a pause in the conversation as Master Fu turned his back and walked over to the record player. He patted the top of it, rubbing the wood fondly as he looked up at Adrien. “It is not my rule, either. You must keep your identity secret at the will of the Kwamis. They are the ones who decided, long ago, that the Miraculous holders should not know who is behind the mask. I suppose there was a history of sabotage,” he waved a hand in the air as he approached Adrien. “Or something like that. They will not tell me what happened.” Master Fu snickered. “Perhaps they are embarrassed.”
“Perhaps.” Adrien analyzed the record player, trying to imagine all of the Kwami’s held in the enormous Miraculous box hiding in there. He wondered if Ladybug had seen all of them at once. “But if they can decide that we shouldn't know each other's identities, they also can decide that we can, right?”
Pondering this for a moment, Master Fu nodded slightly. “I suppose,” he said with a hum. “But it is not an easy task to pursued an entire Miracle Box of Kwamis to do something.” He laughed. “Trust me, I have tried. Besides, I doubt that they would be up to making such a decision with two of their own missing already.”
Deflating, Adrien took another sip of his tea. It burned as it slid down his esophagus, heating up his rib cage before disappearing into the pits of his stomach. He wasn't sure what he was expecting; did he come here to try an convince Master Fu to let them share their identities? Even if he did that, he doubted Ladybug would reveal hers right away in the first place. All of this had been for nothing. He caused a scene, ruined a victory, made a fool out of himself just to be shot down.
“I know it is hard,” Master Fu said, pacing over to stand above Adrien. He placed a hand on his shoulder. Startled at the sudden touch, Adrien looked up at him and was met with a warm, paternal smile. “But this is the way that things are. Trust me, I more than anyone would like things to change, but they cannot. Not without a miracle.” He shook Adrien’s shoulder with a laugh. “Pun unintended.”
Adrien smiled up at him before looking down at his tea. His eyes reflected in its surface, green and cloudy.
Clearing his throat, Master Fu said, “Will you fetch Ladybug for me, please?”
Adrien’s eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at the door. After their conversation, Master Fu still trusted him with something as delicate as Ladybug in her civilian form? Standing up, he transformed back into Chat Noir, and walked over to the door. His hand hovered over the door handle, tempted to open it, to see who Ladybug really was, but he dropped his hand before the urge overtook him. He knocked. “Ladybug?”
Muffled through the door, he heard her say, “Oh, fuck-- Just a second!”
When the door opened, Ladybug stood in front of him, clad in black spots and a shining mask over her eyes.
“Ladybug, Chat Noir,” Master Fu said, a slight smile on his face when they returned to the coffee table. “I chose the two of you to hold the Miraculous of the Ladybug and of the Black Cat to keep balance, but it seems that the scales have been tipped. You must maintain the trust you have in each other to effectively work together and focus on keeping the peace. This is crucial. I have decided, somewhat against my better judgement, that the next time the two of you are in need of assistance, that Chat Noir will be the one to retrieve the Miraculous from me and give it to someone he deems fits to wield its power.”
Chat Noir’s ears perked up at this. “Really?”
“Yes. I cannot promise that this will be a recurring privilege, but I want you to feel as in control of your partnership as Ladybug does.”
“But what about what you said? About the Black Cat not being allowed to hold more than one Miraculous at a time?”
Master Fu shrugged. “Once when you're young can’t hurt, right?” He smiled up at Adrien. “Besides, I trust you.
***
“I am sorry,” Chat Noir said once they had left Master Fu’s. They had left separately, agreeing to meet at their usual spot once they had left the proximity. The sun had started setting later in the day as Spring was upon them, something that Chat Noir was grateful for. The short days and long nights of winter made him lazy, unmotivated, and depressed; now, as he watched the sun dip into the river from the top of the Eiffel Tower, he felt life bleeding back into his veins. “I guess I was being a little unreasonable.”
Ladybug laughed, swinging her legs freely in the air below them. “Maybe a little. I wasn’t being too nice, either. I’m sorry.”
Chat Noir held out a hand. “Truce?”
She shook it. “Truce.”
“Is now an appropriate time to tell you how hot you were today?”
“Oh my god,” Ladybug muttered as she stood up.
“You were really whipping around that giant dude. I was sweating, LB, sweating I tell you. If I wasn’t so worried about being crushed to death, I would’ve asked you to marry me right there.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You love me.”
“Do not.”
“Do too.”
“Not.”
“Too!”
“Oh my god,” she repeated.
He laughed maniacally, standing up as well and leaning against the spindle of the tower. “So,” he started, crossing his arms in front of him. “What were you whispering to Carapace behind my back today? You weren’t plotting my cat-ssassination, were you?”
Giving him a look of confusion, she laughed. “What?”
“In the parking garage, right before we beat Task Master’s ass.” He raised a teasing eyebrow. “Remember?”
“Oh, that.” She waved a hand. “That was nothing.”
“Why are you blushing then?”
“I’m not.”
Chat Noir purred. “You are.”
She sighed, turning away from him. “I was just reminding him that his job is to protect us.”
"Yeah," Chat Noir sputtered. "Like he didn't already know that. What was it really?"
Ladybugs cheeks resembled red lipstick on tissue. "I don't even remember now"
"Yes you do," he sang as he bent down to tower above her. "What was it, do you have a crush on him? Is that why you don't want me to know his identity?"
"No, drop it, Chat."
"I don't think I will." He batted at one of her pigtails. "Tell me tell me tell me tell me-"
"Oh my god, okay!" She said through an irritated laugh. "I was just telling him to protect you out there because you're so damn impulsive I knew you would have hurt yourself otherwise."
Gasping, Chat Noir through a hand over his chest. “You do love me!”
“Sorry I didn’t want you to die! ”
“Your plan failed, as I think I might pass away right where I stand.”
“Please don’t, that would be too hard to explain to the coroner.”
A comfortable silence fell over them, both of them looking at the pink and gold sunset in front of them. Paris really was gorgeous in this light. Letting his head fall to the left, Chat Noir stared down at Ladybug, watching her eyes track the birds in the sky, admiring the look in her eyes, adoring the way that the sun reflected off of she shining cheeks and her dark, silky hair. God, that hair. He hesitated one, twice, three times before reaching a hand down and capturing a piece of her hair between his fingers. It was soft, like silk, and much thicker than he has expected it to be. He realized in that moment that there were very few people's hair besides his own that he had touched before. Sure, he had playfully ruffled Nino's hair and attempted braiding his mother's when he was young, but those experiences seemed to fall away. He twirled Ladybug's hair.
Slowly, Ladybug turned her head to look at him. “Uh, whatcha doing there?”
Chat Noir softly shook his head, not knowing how to put what he was feeling into words. Again, his fingers slipped through her hair. She didn't pull away. When he reached the ends of her hair, his ring and middle fingers found themselves brushing the back of her neck, just above where her bare skin met the high neck of her suit. Ladybug’s eyes widened, a tight, awkward smile on her face, as she looked between him and his wandering hand. The backs of his knuckles rubbed soft circles into her skin. A thrill shot of Chat Noir’s back as he did so, not knowing what had come over him, not wanting to stop.
“Uhhhhhh….”
He pulled away. “Sorry.” Taking a step forward, he leaned against the metal railing. “I just realized back there, at Master Fu’s, that I had never really touched you, ya know?” He turned his head to look back at her. “It felt nice is all.”
“You touch me basically everyday, Kitty.”
Chat Noir laughed. "Sure, but I had never...I don't know. Don't you think it's weird that we’re together every day but haven't felt each other's skin?”
“You’re sounding a little serial killery there, Chat.”
“Pft, you know what I mean.” He looked at her again. “It felt like the first time I really saw you. The real you.”
She hummed quietly as she looked down at her lap. Feeling ashamed and awkward, Chat Noir looked up at the skyline. The golden and tangerine shades had been drained from the sky, replaced with deep lavender's and indigos. “So.” He felt her warmth next to him as she rested on the railing. “What’d Fu have to say that I couldn't hear?”
“Oh you know,” he said with a wink. “Secret identity stuff.”
“Ah, a tale as old as time.”
“Literally, apparently,” Chat Noir replied, thinking back to his conversation with Fu. He had always assumed that at some point, he and Ladybug would reveal their identities to one another, that some day they would know who the other was. Really know, not just make jokes and fight akuma together for thirty minutes a day. He looked back toward the city. “Are you really okay with this? Us never knowing who the other is?”
“I know who you are.”
“Huh?”
She smiled at him. “You're Chat Noir.” Turning around so her back faced the city, she went on. “You're kind and sweet, brave and intuitive, albeit a relentless flirt, you usually know when to back off, in any situation. You're sarcastic and ridiculously over the top, but you always know the right thing to say.”
“While I appreciate – and encourage – the compliments, you know what I mean.” He sighed, looking to the twinkling lights of twilight. The sun had fallen below the horizon, leaving a soft glow in its place. “Can you really imagine doing this for ever ?”
She didn't say anything for a while, and Chat Noir wondered if she actually hadn't thought about it or if she was just trying to spare his feelings.
“You know when you were a kid and you saw the expiration date on something like...a battery?” She asked, tilting her head to look at him. He met her gaze.
“Sure.”
“That date was always so far away, at least from back then, but looking back, it probably said something like the year 2017. When you're a kid that feels like a lifetime away, but then that time comes and goes, and you realize that it wasn't that far away at all. I think that's how I think about,” she waved her hand aimlessly in the air, “all of this. It never seems like it's going to end, but soon we’ll have been doing this for five years in the blink of an eye.” Her soft eyes met his, a small smile on her lips. “It feels impossible now, but these are our lives now.” She nudged his arm, her face perking up. “It'll be two years in August.”
“Two years. Wow.” He smirked at her. “That's like 24 cat years.”
She threw her head back in laughter. “And probably like a million ladybug years.”
He hung his head, silently laughing until his diaphragm ached. The two of them gazed into each other's eyes, and Chat Noir swore he saw galaxies in hers. They swirled together and collided like black holes at the end of the universe, erupting in something much more intense than a supernova, something that astrophysicists haven't studied yet, before going dark and imploding in on themselves all over again. The sight left him in awe.
“I really am sorry about earlier,” he apologized again, the sudden gut-wrenching guilt overtaking him.
“I know.”
“I really am.”
“I believe you.” She nudged his arm once again. “And I forgive you.”
***
After an eventful day, Marinette expected to melt into her pillow as soon as she hit the mattress, but when she got back to her room after eating dinner with her parents she was left with a sense of uneasiness. The air was quiet, still, void of all noise and all motion. Tikki was taking a nap on her desk; her eyes were closed, her breath was slow. Everything was calm. It rose the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck, setting her on edge.
Every creak in her ladder sent her nerves overboard. As she climbed into bed, the sound of her sheets rustling together was deafening to her ears. The feeling of her breath leaving her nose burned the top of her cupid's bow as she exhaled, and every time she blinked she could swear she felt her eyelashes scraping the surface of her cheeks. Her eyes burned.
“Gah!” She yelled, sitting upright in bed and shaking out her arms. Her room was dark, quiet, and lonely. Lonely. How could she have spent all day around other people and still feel so empty? She looked up at the pictures on the wall next to her bed, reminding herself of everyone that she was surrounded with at all times. Except right now.
Her phone lit up in her hands as she turned it on, checking to see if anyone had texted her. No one had. She sighed, throwing it down next to her and pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes. The darkness behind her eyes turned a warm orange, mixed with reds and yellows, all melting into one another to create a massive supernova, only to go dark again when her hands fell back into her lap.
She looked back up at her wall.
I guess it can get a little lonely sometimes.
Adrien's voice rang in her head as she stared up at his many pictures decorating her cork-board. She wondered if he felt the way that she did right about now.
Suddenly, she had an idea.
“Tikki,” She whispered. Marinette had been sure that her kwami had awakened after she had fallen off of the ladder to her loft, but Tikki was still fast asleep in the small bed that Marinette had crafted for her that resided on her desk. “Tikki wake up.”
The creature groaned, squeezing her eyes shut tightly before opening them, looking at Marinette with glossy eyes ridden with sleep. “Hmm? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” Marinette said quickly. “We have to go do something, though.”
“What is it?” Tikki sat up, stretching her antennae before she began floating slightly above her bed.
“Let’s just go. I have to transform.”
“What? Why-”
“Spots on.”
Ladybug knew that Tikki would definitely object to her plan, and she thought that dealing with her tomorrow after a good night's sleep would have been better than trying to reason with her while she was sleep deprived. It still wouldn't be fun, but as Ladybug swung through the evening Parisian air, she knew she had made the right decision. The crescent moon in the sky was enough to light Ladybug’s way above the dark streets, and she arrived at her destination with little directional trouble at all.
Adrien’s mansion was dark at this time of night, except for his window and one on the other side of the house. Sneaking around the roof, Ladybug made her way to Adrien’s dimly lit windowpane. Being there uninvited felt oddly invasive, and she briefly wondered if she had made a mistake. As she perched on his windowsill, she peered into the glass to catch sight of him. She knew he had a habit of sneaking out, maybe he wasn't home at all and Ladybug would have to pity fly back to her house and deal with Tikki’s wrath without a valid excuse. Scanning his room, she didn't see him, which wasn't a good sign.
Oh god, what if he's totally naked and I'm just some creepo Peeping Tom now? If he isn't naked, he's probably crying about how lonely he is and I'm about to embarrass the hell out of him in front of a superhero. Wait, didn't Alya say he had a bizzaro crush on Ladybug? You’re Ladybug, you idiot! You're embarrassing this poor, broken boy in front of his celebrity crush for no reason and you’re making a complete fool out of your-
She lost her footing and crashed up against the window. Once she had gained her balance, she paused momentarily, looking back up into Adrien’s room hoping that she hadn’t disturbed him.
A second light turned on. She watched him sit up in bed, which was hidden from her sight before, and look around the room quizzically. Muffled voices broke through the glass, and Ladybug didn't know if he was talking to her or someone else, but either way she had to get out of there. This was a bad idea. And she would have left if her stupid shoes had some damn grip and didn't slip everytime she tried to gain her footing. Before she could, though, she heard the window open.
“Ladybug?” Adrien’s soft voice asked.
She turned around, a look of shock still present on her face before offering him a small wave in greeting. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he repeated, a flustered smile on his face. He looked at her, up and down, before asking with a laugh, “What are you doing here?”
“Me? Oh, ya know.” She placed a hand on her hip, gesturing vaguely to the night around her. “Just stuff.”
“Ah yes, stuff. I’m familiar.”
“Yeah, stuff. A lot of stuff, actually. I better get going now, see you later!”
“Alright." He laughed politely, like he always did. Ladybug loved his little laugh. “That's all?”
“I mean,” she said, turning back to him slightly from her jumping position. Why did you start a sentence you don't know how to finish? Think of something! “I was just doing my nightly rounds of rescuing kittens from trees and didn't see you, so I thought I’d come by and make sure you were okay, which you are! So, uh…”
“Well, if your stuff isn't too pressing, you could, uh, maybe stay awhile?”
“Oh!” Ladybug exclaimed, not expecting such a blatant invitation. “I mean, if there's no intrusion.”
“No! No intrusion, um,” Adrien said as he sat down on the bench below his window. “Wanna come inside?”
Yes, of course I do. Every thought in Ladybug’s head was telling her to jump through the window, but every cell in her body told her not to. “I should probably stay out here,” she said after a moment. “I am on official superhero business, after all.” Sending him a wink, she could have sworn she saw him blush.
“Riiiight.”
She sat on his cold roof, crossing her legs, and rested her elbows on his window pane. Adrien did the same.
“So,” she said. “What's up?”
What's up? That's the best you could think of?
He laughed slightly. “Just contemplating my existence. What's up with you?”
She shrugged. “About the same. What has you dreading this mortal coil we reside in this fine evening?”
“Oh you know,” Adrien said with a smug shrug. “Just stuff.”
“The infamous ‘stuff’ has struck again.”
“Maybe Hawk Moth isn't the biggest threat to our city. The worst villain is actually ‘stuff.’”
“I tend to agree with that. ‘Stuff’ does end up being the bane of my existence most days.”
Adrien laughed. “The bane of my existence is usually my father, but ‘stuff’ is a close second.”
Giggling, Ladybug dared herself to say what she was thinking. “Are we having daddy issues tonight?”
Adrien scoffed. “Something like that.” He looked at her quizzically for a moment before asking, “You have parents, right?”
After taking a moment to absorb the question, Ladybug sputtered a response. “Yes, I have parents. Did you think I just spawned into existence with a Kwami and knew my purpose?”
A sheepish smile appeared on Adrien’s face. “I don’t know! I guess I’ve just never really thought about the Ladybug’s parents before.”
“Ahh,” Ladybug cooed. “Kind of like how you don’t think about how your grandparents have parents.”
“Exactly!”
“So what, you think of me as a grandma or something?”
“No! No I don’t, I mean- what?” His cheeks turned bright pink as he looked down at his hands, which created a storm of butterflies in Ladybug’s stomach.
Reaching out the small distance between them (and summoning all of her courage), Ladybug playfully bumped Adrien’s hand with her own. “Just playing. Why are you asking about my parents?”
“Oh,” Adrien said, relief flooding his face, returning his shy smile to his lips. “I was just thinking, you have a lot on your plate being Ladybug and all. Do your parents never question what you’re doing?”
Ladybug shrugged. “Nah. They kind of just let me do my own thing, they’re pretty chill.”
“Do they know that you’re… you know, you?”
Stifling a laugh, Ladybug shook her head. “No way. I haven’t even thought about telling them, honestly. I don’t know what they would do if they were to find out.”
“Do you think they’d be mad?”
“No, I don’t think so. They’d probably accidentally tell half of Paris, though.”
Adrien hummed, setting his chin down on his hands.
Cocking her head, Ladybug observed him. He seemed disappointed -- no, that wasn’t the right word. Upset? Envious? Downtrodden? An entire dictionary wouldn’t be able to help her place the emotion on his face right now. “Why, uh… why do you ask?” Shit, maybe she had given away a part of her identity that she shouldn’t have. Marinette did just tell Adrien a few days ago that her parents weren’t strict, maybe he had pieced together the puzzle.
“I was just thinking that if I were a superhero and my dad found out, he’d be pretty mad.”
“Really? Why? Wouldn’t that be good for publicity, or whatever.”
Adrien shrugged half-heartedly. “I don't know, I just get the feeling he wouldn’t be very happy with me.”
“Well,” Ladybug said with a light tone, trying to make him feel better. “Good thing you’re not a superhero, right?”
Adrien’s eyes shot open as he sat up, nodding his head. “Right, yeah, good thing.” He chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck and averting his neck gaze.
“That’s the real reason I’m here, you know.” Ladybug blushed, hoping Adrien couldn’t tell from under her mask.
“So it wasn’t ‘stuff,’ eh?”
She held her hands up. “You got me. I remembered what you had said last time, about feeling trapped, and thought you might like a friend.”
Adrien’s eyes met hers, sparkling like all of the lights on the streets, like all of the stars in the sky. He smiled. “That’s sweet.” His confidence returning, Adrien lifted both arms and clasped his hands at the back of his neck. “You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Did he just wink?
Resting her elbow on Adrien’s window pane, Ladybug placed her chin on her closed fist. “Why wouldn’t I worry about my favorite civilian?”
“Pshaw,” Adrien huffed affectionately. “I bet you say that to all of the people you save.”
Smiling coyly, Ladybug shrugged. “Maybe. But this time I actually mean it.”
This time Ladybug knew Adrien was blushing. His cheeks turned red, his ears were a deep maroon. He sputtered momentarily, and for a second, Ladybug was surprised. She had never seen Adrien like this, not as Ladybug, not as Marinette. She giggled, thinking that he was acting like she did when she was around him in her civilian form. It felt powerful, pulling this reaction from him. Powerful, sure, but above all else, it drew out a warm, fuzzy feeling from deep inside her gut that Ladybug had trouble explaining. She hadn’t had this effect on anyone before. Her heart sank when she remembered that she would likely not elicit the same response as Marinette.
“And what about Chat Noir?”
Ladybug was pulled from her haze. “Who?”
Adrien chuckled. “You know, your partner in crime? Or crime fighting, I should say.” His hands found themselves back on the window pane, mere inches from Ladybug’s arm. “I thought you two were like, an item.”
Pausing for a second, Ladybug burst into laughter. “Me? And Chat Noir?” She laughed until her stomach ached. “No way. Not a chance. In his dreams!” Literally, apparently.
“Okay, you made your point.” He rested his chin in his hand. Ladybug got the sense that she had disappointed him. Was Adrien some sort of secret Chat Noir fanboy or something? “You guys seem pretty joined at the hip,” he said, the look on his face disappearing and replaced with something Ladybug couldn’t quite place. “What’s stopping you?”
Shrugging again, Ladybug said as she looked him in the eyes, “Maybe I like someone else.”
Adrien leaned closer. “Oh? And who would that be?”
Drawing in a shattered breath, Ladybug glanced down. Adrien's hand was hesitantly drawing closer to her own, his index finger extending to nearly brush her hand. She looked back up, only for her attention to be drawn back down by the warmth of his finger lightly brushing her pinky. Her skin buzzed with electricity where he touched her, lighting a fire in her chest that would take an ocean to extinguish.
“That’s a, um…” She cleared her throat. “That's a secret,” she finally said, her voice only a bit louder than a whisper.
“I won’t tell,” Adrien replied. Closer, closer, closer, please come closer. “I promise.”
Breathing him in, Ladybug let herself enjoy his nearness. Her arm fell from the window pane. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He nodded. She laughed, pulling back rapidly. “Well then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.”
Adrien hummed, straightening his back and rubbing his neck again. “At least give me a hint.”
Ladybug tapped her chin in pseudo-thought. “Let’s see...no.” She shot him a sly smile. “Maybe if you guess, I’ll tell you.”
“Oh, come on,” Adrien laughed. “It’s not like we exactly run in the same circles.”
You’d be surprised.
After thinking for a moment, Adrien clenched his hand in a fist and waved it gracefully in front of him.
“What are you doing?” asked Ladybug.
“I’m waving a white flag. I give up, will you tell me now?”
She laughed, “I think I better quit while I’m ahead. You might figure out my identity by the end of the night if we keep going.”
“Now we don’t want that.”
“No, we don’t.” She stood up and stretched her arms above her head, and Adrien followed suit. She gazed over at him, admiring the way the the evening lights glimmered off of his face. “I’ll see you later, Adrien.”
“See you later,” he said. “Thanks for stopping by. Really.”
His inflection of the word made Ladybug turn back and examine him. Something about this moment gave her an odd sense of deja vu. The lights, the rooftop, Adrien. Something was so familiar, yet so foreign to her at the same time. She blinked at him.
I really am.
Laughing at the connection, Ladybug shook the thought. No way Adrien sounded like Chat Noir. They had similar hair, but that was where the similarities ended. She couldn’t believe she had actually placed them in the same category momentarily.
“Anytime.”
When she got back to her room, Ladybug looked around, feeling completely different than she had an hour ago. Her room felt like home again, not just like a surrogate for her belongings to reside. Sighing, she detransformed.
“That was what you needed to wake me up for?” Tikki asked as soon as she was able to speak. “That was not urgent.”
“I know,” Marinette said, exhaling a dreamy sigh as she flounced down onto her bed. “I just couldn’t sit still.” She sat up, hugging herself and swaying in her bed. “Did you see the way he looked at me? I still can’t believe it, Tikki! Do you think he likes me?”
“He likes Ladybug, not Marinette.”
Marinette waved a hand in front of her. “Same thing. He touched my hand! That means something, doesn’t it?” She sighed again. “I’ve read about this in so many magazines but never actually experienced it before! I should text him, no, I should call him. If he likes Ladybug, he has to like Marinette!”
“Marinette,” Tikki nagged, sitting on the screen of the phone in Marinette’s hand. “This is dangerous. Mixing your personal life with the Miraculous -- it never works out well.”
Rolling her eyes, Marinette dropped her phone in her lap. Tikki hovered, flying up to meet Marinette’s eyes. “It’s harmless.”
“No, it isn ’t.” Tikki’s eyes widened with discontent. “I’ve seen it all before, hundreds of times. There’s a reason you have a secret identity: to keep you secret. I know it’s hard for you to grasp right now, but you shouldn’t exploit your powers.”
“I'm not exploiting anything,” Marinette said defensively. “You don’t understand.”
Sighing, Tikki sunk down until she landed on Marinette’s comforter. “Can you please just try and keep the personal calls to a minimum? Preferably not when I’m trying to sleep.”
As Tikki dozed off, Marinette drafted a text to Adrien, then deleted it before she sent it. After repeating this process several times, she gave up, dropping her phone on her pillow and looking up at his pictures on her wall. The joy returned to her chest as she looked at him, as she remembered the way his fingers felt rubbing against her arm, as she imagined his hot breath on her face. As she dozed off, she imagined him getting closer to her once again, but this time, she closed the gap between them.
***
Chat Noir [10:57pm]: Dreaming about you tonight, my lovely Lady