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Paris, France. A city of two sides.
The side of Chat Noir, black-flaired, courageous. The side of Ladybug, fair crimson Princess. Each looking up to their own leader in reverence and support. Each stubborn to accept the other side. The rift continued.
As well as the social divide there were two halves, literally. Paris split down the middle, the Eiffel Tower as the neutral ground. One never strayed from their own side into the other; the hate was so strong. There was no regular physical conflict, each side keeping to themselves.
No contact between sides was permitted and the act was punishable, apart from at the yearly festival when the leaders had agreed for a festival to take place. There would be sport competition, polite celebration, and discussion of what had been happening during the past year, cordially. Afterwards, everyone would go their separate ways.
Paris as a whole was attacked regularly by a villain named Hawkmoth, who would take advantage of emotions and create champions who would destroy and maim, in order to procure the magical jewels held by Ladybug and Chat Noir, no doubt for some evil plan. It was unclear which side this villain was from, or if he was from outside entirely, but it didn't matter—he seemed to hate both sides just the same. The heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir would come together just these times—one from each half, to ensure the best decisions were made. Or, each side wanted to be sure they each had a person in the play, in case the other were to make any life-changing decisions on their own that would affect the system.
As a repetition: no contact between sides was permitted.
Despite the rules supposedly set out by themselves, Ladybug and Chat Noir were currently making out on a rooftop.
“Chat, what the heck?” Ladybug snapped in a muffled voice, shoving Chat Noir a few centimetres away. “One second you’re trying to destroy me via trash-talk and the next-”
He silenced her with a kiss and she fell into it. It was like fire, hot and fast and needy. Breath and grasping and want. Soaring into the sky and flickering bright light. But light dies.
Ladybug broke the kiss angrily, gasping.
“It wasn’t real trash-talk,” Chat muttered. “And I know you’re into me.”
“Well, I can’t be!” She fumed. “We need to stop meeting like this. It’s not allowed for us to be together, so what’s the point of entertaining something that will eventually break our hearts, leave us empty inside? I don’t need to go through that, I don’t need to find something just to lose it, I…” she trailed off into her worry, a hand resting on her partner’s arm.
“The feud between our side has gone too far…” the black-suited man murmured. “It’s causing problems.”
“But what can we do about it now?” Ladybug hummed, eyes softening. “It’s so embedded into our lives, I don’t know how we would come back from it.”
“We’ll find a way, Milady,” came the reply. “We will.”