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"Chat Noir it was about time!"
Ladybug sounded extremely mad and… uh, nervous?
"Sorry, m'Lady I was stuck with a pho— Er, Never mind!" He quickly corrected himself. "What have we got today?"
Chat Noir casually put his staff over his shoulders, relaxing when he saw that Ladybug hadn't paid attention to what he'd almost let slip.
"Lila Rossi," she groaned. "She'd been akumatised again. She calls herself Praying Mantis."
His eyes snapped wide open at the figure in the street below. Lila's akumatised self was dressed in a skin tight green suit with a tailcoat and she had two antennas popping on her head as well as two extra arms.
"Has she tried to… you know? Eat… uh… boys?" He shivered while asking that, his blood freezing in his veins.
"What?" Ladybug asked, looking totally horrified by his suggestion.
"Female Praying Mantis sometimes feed on males during or after mating." He shrugged and darted his gaze away, trying to escape the creepy conversation he had just initiated.
"Erk, I'm going to pretend it's normal that you know something like this," she said, scrunching her nose in disgust. "It could explain her power, though. She bewitched all masculine individuals in the street. Including Adrien," she grumbled, glaring at the girl and practically stomping her foot on the roof.
Hahaha. Nope. Definitely not Adrien. It wasn't possible.
He looked down and his eyes caught sight of Praying Mantis, one of her four arms wrapped around what looked like Adrien Agreste's waist.
Huh? What the heck was that?
"I can't believe this sneaky vyper finally got her hands on him!"
"Wasn't she a mantis?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Whatever! Vyper, mantis… Who cares? She doesn't need any of those titles to spread her venom everywhere she goes. She's a liar, a manipulator. How dare she spread her filthy poison all over my Adrien," She said, clenching —crushing—her yo-yo in her hand.
The mention of his own name and his Lady behavior got him all smug.
"It sounds like you're a fan of Mr. Handsome." A smirk spread on his face but he quickly bit his lips to hide it. Not that she was looking at him, or even listening to him. She was too preoccupied by Lila and this copy of himself who came out of nowhere.
He shuddered. His mind was screaming Sentimonster but… he could wait a little before sharing his suspicions with his Lady, right? He could enjoy seeing her all thoughtful and caring about him a bit longer.
Just a little longer. Please!
"So, what's your plan to save your prince?" he asked, kneeling next to her.
She turned her head toward him, a blush blossoming on her cheeks.
"It looks like I touched a soft spot ," he joked, with a shit-eater smile.
"Do you really think it's the right time to make a stupid pun?" She grabbed him by his bell and stood, dragging him up with her. "Lila might look sweet but she's a psycho! And Adrien is in trouble!"
"Okay okay! I got it! No puns when Adrien Agreste is kept captive. Can you stop pulling my bell now? The zipper is going down and I'll soon be bare torso in front of you. Not that I'm complaining bu—"
The feline was interrupted and got what he wanted; she let him go with a groan and a slight push, and he landed on his backside.
"Hey!" He protested.
"I thought cats always land on their feet…" Ladybug shrugged.
Chat Noir stood up, rubbing his buttocks and putting his tail back in place. "I thought ladybugs were harmless creatures…" He mumbled under his breath.
She 'mphfed' and looked down the street when she let out a loud squeak.
"Oh dear! She ripped his shirt!" Ladybug eyes widened in shock. "We must act quickly before she makes out with him and then kills him!"
Wow, stop. His Lady was overstating and was going nuts. He better tell her that it was a Sentimonster down there —without betraying his identity.
"Ladybug I need to tell yo—"
"Lucky Charm!" She summoned, interrupting him. "A male gender symbol? What am I supposed to do with that!" She looked with a perplexed frown all around her, before her eyes shone with understanding. "Of course! Chat, you're a boy!"
"Uh, the last time I checked, yes," he chuckled.
She facepalmed and glared at him before resuming her plan to him. "You're gonna do the lure. She wants a boy, we're gonna give her another one, not mine!" She exclaimed. "Er… I mean n-not A-adrien," she stuttered.
He blinked. Then he blinked again. Had he heard right? Hers?
"Chat Noir! COME ON!" she shouted, twirling her yo-yo. "She's about to kiss him! I can't let her spoil his chaste, soft, gorgeous…" She paused, closing her eyes. "and kissable lips…" she added with a dreamy look stuck on her face. She shook her head, looking all flushed. "I mean… we can't let her do what she likes. It's time to catch and de-evilise this Akuma!"
Right. The Akuma. They'll come back to all this weird but very interesting talk later.
"Can we have a little chat about what you were saying earlier?" Chat Noir asked after they defeated Lila akumatised self.
"I don't know what you mean," denied Ladybug.
"Well, first of all you… Got all badass and defeated Praying Mantis in like... 30 seconds?"
He was still in awe after seeing her so protective with his civilian self. Well, before she understood it was a Sentimonster and stuck her fist on his face.
"We just both get better with practice. I guess." She shrugged. "She wasn't that hard to defeat." She was clearly avoiding talking about the true reason behind her behaviour.
"So, it's not because you were jealous she was trying to make out with Adrien?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, as a smirk stretched his lips.
"It was a Sentimonster ."
"I know that! But… before you knew… you were jealouuuusss," he teased her in a sing-song voice. "Besides, the Sentimonster just confirmed you liked Adrien since its power was to turn into the one you love when you touched it, and for you, it did not change. It was still him ."
She stomped her foot and her eyes shot daggers towards him; if a look could kill…he would now be a dead cat.
"I'M IN LOVE WITH ADRIEN AGRESTE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?"
He gasped, his jaw dropping, as her hand shot to her mouth. It was obvious she hadn’t meant to confess it. But it was too late to take it back anyway.
She sighed and seemed to give up trying to deny what she had just said.
"Yes, he is the one I'm in love with," she admitted. "Although he has had some competition lately," she added, her voice barely a whisper, but his feline hearing caught her words.
Chat Noir grinned, feeling all smug right now. "Meow, very interesting m'Lady."
"Did I say that out loud?" she inquired, her face growing pale as her eyes-widened.
He nodded, unable to hold back the satisfied smirk popping on his lips.
Ladybug groaned, "Stop looking so smug. I didn't tease you because the Sentimonster turned out to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng for you!" She shouted, crossing her arms over her chest before she looked away from him, pouting.
Chat Noir chuckled, "Awww, are you jealous, Buguinette ?"
She turned just a few seconds, sticking her tongue out, and turned back away from him again.
He bit his lips, stopping giggling at how flushed and cute she was and stepped toward her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, you don't have to be jealous since you, and her, are one and the same, Marinette."
She stumbled on her legs and squealed. "Uh… I don't know why you think something like that, hahaha… Er… you're in love with two different…. Utterly different girls, Chaton… sorry."
"Don't give me that. My heart can't lie to me. It can't love two girls and this Sentimonster made me understand why. There's only one girl I'm in love with and it's you. The whole of you," he whispered, and smiled softly.
In the meantime, her earrings rang their last warning and a flash of pink light left a shocking Marinette behind.
She looked at him in disbelief and he could clearly see through her eyes that the wheels were turning fast, trying to connect all the gears.
"Adrien?" she asked tentatively. "If I follow your train of thought, you're Adrien."
"And the winner is—"
"Oh shut up," she mumble-moaned, burying her head in her hands.
Chat Noir moved closer to her and took both of her hands in his and gently prying them away from her blushing face.
"Why would I? You don't want to claim your priz—"
Instead of being able to finish what he was saying, her lips were on his, shushing him and his sneaky teasing. It was soft, sweet, and completely intoxicating.
"I quite prefer it when your mouth is busy in different activities than just teasing my obliviousness," she whispered against his lips when they broke apart to breathe again.
Chat Noir let his transformation fall—he hadn't used his Cataclysm due to his Lady's efficiency— and a flash of green light wrapped him.
A smile curled Adrien's lips, his emerald gaze tenderly staring at Marinette who blushed deeper red and looked absolutely adorable… and teasable… but he didn't say anything and just leaned in, chasing her mouth for another taste of her.
"I agree, kissing you is so much better," he murmured as their lips touched.