Chapter Text
Adrien Agreste was running out of options.
They'd bumped security in the house as high as a camera outside his bedroom door and an additional check-in when he was supposed to be home from school. Plagg hated the idea, but Adrien didn't know where else to turn.
"It's not like I'm giving you away permanently, Plagg. Just for a week or two until they ease off. We don't want another Adrien's-Been-Kidnapped scare again, right? If they know I keep leaving, they'll find out the truth!"
"But where am I going to get my cheese from? Another human might not be able to supplement my need for camembert!"
"We'll figure it out. Just give me-"
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Hide."
Plagg swooped into Adrien's shirt as Natalie strutted into the boy's room.
"Adrien, your father requests your presence in the dining hall immediately."
At first he was shocked. Then, he was suspicious.
"He never eats with me."
"Today's your lucky day."
Natalie turned her back and Plagg held tight to Adrien as they made their way downstairs.
~
A lot of the conversation was the same old news that Adrien always heard from his father. His high expectations for his son's education, piano lessons, modeling career... But there was one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb.
"We will also continue to meet here each night to participate in fine dining-"
"What?"
"I want you here every night for dinner, Adrien. Six o'clock sharp. No excuses."
"I wasn't going to make any. I'm just surprised, father."
And a little terrified.
~
"Now we have to figure out something, Plagg. I know my father won't be able to keep up with meeting for dinner after a while but we can't risk having an akuma out and about while I'm stuck here and they know it. This may be the only way to protect my identity, to protect you, and Ladybug and Paris!"
"Are you really willing to give this up, Adrien?"
There was no sarsasm or hint of humor in the kwami's voice. He didn't want to leave.
"Even if it's temporary, I can't be away from you for too long. Otherwise, I'll begin to attatch to your replacement. It's not a choice. It's just the job..."
"I know. But it's a risk I'm going to have to take."
He stared out the window with his friend, watching the people go about their day.
"But who will you choose?" Plagg asked.
Adrien hadn't thought about it much, to be honest. It scared him to give one of his closest friends and really one of his few outlets of freedom to someone else. He kept telling himself it wouldn't be permanent, but deep down he wasn't sure.
"I don't know."
"Well, we better figure it out quick before they tell you that school's off limits too."
He thought long and hard. It had to be a boy, since Adrien was hoping that no one would notice that Chat was any different than before.
"He has to look similar to me, or at least to Chat. And he has to pass being me to Ladybug and the civilians of Paris."
"Why can't you tell Ladybug you're going on vacation so your friend is covering for you?"
"I don't want her to worry. She'll question Chat 2.0 too much and it'll get in the way of the combat."
"Hmph. Well, good luck finding someone as tall, charming, and mysterious as you, kid!"
That's when he saw him. Chat 2.0.
He was bouncing down the street with his headphones on, a guitar strapped around his body as he made his way towards the bakery. His long, blue-black hair reflected in the sunlight; his face held a smirk that looked all too familar.
"Luka."
Plagg's mouth was full of cheese as he flew back to the window to see him.
"Lphua?"
"Yes, Luka! He's Marinette's boyfriend! She'd never date anyone with a bad bone in their body and he looks kind of similar to me..."
"I don't see it."
"Well not ME me, but Chat me. The same hair style, even if the color is off. Can you disguise him to look like me?"
"It'll take more energy and he'll change back faster, but yes. I can't help his voice, though."
"That's fine. She'll be too focused on the danger anyway."
Adrien opened Plagg's safe and shoved as much cheese as possible into a large, spare ziplock bag he had in his backpack. Plagg transformed him into his alter ego and they flew through the open window, chasing after the boy.
Luka was nearly at the bakery, but they stopped him before he could reach the door. Chat hung off the high bakery sign, hidden by the shadows.
"Psssst! Luka!"
The blue-eyed boy looked up and jumped back a little.
"Chat Noir? What are you doing here?"
"I don't have a lot of time. And I have a favor to ask of you... But it's not small."
"Well, what do you have in mind?"
The boy crossed his arms as Chat leapt down to the sidewalk. Luckily, no one had seen them yet as the sun had already gone down and the streetlights had a few minutes before they'd be turned on.
"Not here. Follow me."
They turned into a nearby alley behind the shop, and Chat made sure no one was nearby just in case.
"Okay... This is kind of complicated and I'm not sure how to start but I have to give up being Chat Noir."
"What?!"
"Not permanently. Temporarily for a few weeks. People in my life are getting hotter on my trail as to who I am when I'm not home and I have to persusade them I'm not me... Does that make any sense?"
"You mean convince them that your real identity has nothing to do with your superhero one?"
"Exactly. But in order to do this, I needed to find someone I knew I could trust. Someone who kind of looks like Chat."
"Wait... Are you asking me to-"
"Yes. Please. It's only for a few weeks until-"
"Is it cause I wear a lot of black?"
The boys laughed together in the dark, trying to make the best of a troubling situation.
"Not exactly. I guess it doesn't hurt, though. Anyway, can you do it?"
"Become Chat Noir?"
He thought for a few minutes and then nodded.
"Yes. I'll do it. But only for a few weeks. I don't want Marinette to know."
"I don't want her to know either. I don't want anyone to know I was replaced, since they'll get suspicious of both of us if they do."
"Got it... Okay, what do I do?"
"Well... I have to detransform and give you my kwami."
"Your kwamwhat?"
"Kwami. They give us our superhero abilities."
Chat took a deep breath and said, "Plagg. Claws in."
With a flash of green, Adrien was suddenly standing before Luka with a very angry kwami.
"You could have at least told him my name before you did it. And maybe mentioned CHEESE."
Luka fell into the trashcans behind him and stared between the small black creature and the boy he knew all too well from Marinette's rambling.
"Adrien? Adrien Agreste?"
"Are you surprised?"
Luka got up from the ground and shrugged.
"A little. But now that I'm looking more closely, it makes a lot of sense."
"This is Plagg. My kwami. The one I was talking about."
Plagg flew up to the boy and stared him straight in the eye.
"Eh. He'll do."
He perched himself on Luka's shoulder and Adrien handed him the bag of cheese.
"This is all he eats. Be prepared. It smells."
"IT DOES AND I LOVE IT." Plagg screamed in Luka's ear. He giggled and happily took the food.
"Anyway, you have five minutes to transform back after you use your superhero ability called Cataclysm. You've seen our fights before. You know how it goes, right?"
"Just cause of the Ladyblog. I don't follow it much, but Marinette does."
"Right. You may have less time since Plagg is going to make you look like me. Be careful and don't transform back unless you know it's safe. Oh..."
Adrien looked away, a little ashamed.
"And please don't tell anyone who Chat Noir really is."
"Of course not."
He looked back at Luka, who offered a confident smile.
"Just a few weeks. I'll do it."
Adrien held out his hand for the boy to shake in agreement. He did. The last thing Adrien did was take the ring off of his finger and sadly, but surely give it to Luka. He had everything he needed.
"Now that it's all settled... Ready to transform?"
"What, now?" Luka's confidence seemed to drop instantly.
"Yeah. I need a ride home."
Luka passed his guitar, which had been sitting to the side, to Adrien.
"Hide it by the dumpster with the cheese. I'll grab them on my way into see her."
Adrien did what he was told and Luka held his hand out for Plagg to sit on. He relunctantly complied.
"Plagg..."
He looked up at Adrien for confirmation and then he finally said the words.
"Claws out."
The flash of green reappeared and Luka stood before Adrien as a complete replica of his superhero identity. His eyes were vibrant green and his hair was now golden blonde. There were only minor differences, but he hoped no one would notice. Adrien couldn't help but marvel at the sight of himself standing in front of him.
"This is-"
"-so weird." Luka agreed.
Chat 2.0 spun around and flexed in the suit.
"I gotta admit... I love the feel of it."
"I know right!"
"Now... Let's get you home. You can tell me how to use the gadgets on the way there."
Luka wrapped his arm around the model and lifted them into the air, running across the rooftops of Paris at lightning speed.
"This is incredible!"
"It is!"
When Chat arrived at the Agreste mansion, he carefully placed Adrien on the other side of the open window and glanced around the room.
"This is a pretty wicked space you've got, Adrien!"
"I guess."
Adrien plopped himself onto his bed and said, "You can stop by anytime."
Luka stayed by the window and said, "Sure. We were acquaintences before, but now that I know your biggest secret, we're probably more in the friend realm, don't you think?"
It made Adrien beyond happy to know that he had another friend, especially one who was willing to help him when he needed it most.
"Right. Friends."
They fist-bumped each other and Luka leapt off into the night, making his way back towards Marinette. Adrien sighed and looked around, feeling more alone than ever. He forgot what it was like to not have Plagg around.
It was going to be a very long few weeks.