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“Prince Adrien is still missing, Chat.”
Chat choked, desperately trying to gasp for air while twirling Ladybug around the ballroom floor. Her eyes widened and the hand on his shoulder twitched as if she wanted to help but he knew she was just as stuck as he was.
They weren’t exactly supposed to be there, in a fancy ballroom sporting gilded pillars and crystal punch bowls and royalty. But at least in fancy clothes nobody would recognize them as commoners unless they did something stupid.
Like choked on their own spit.
Swallowing a ragged breath, Chat smiled at Ladybug and let her out into a slow spin before drawing her back to himself. He glanced up at the royal dais, taking in the empty seat that was meant for him. A growl bubbled up in his throat and he forced it back down before turning his attention back to Ladybug.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry about him, Bug. He’s just a spoiled royal who doesn’t want to show up at a fancy event.”
“Mm, I don’t think so, Chat. He didn’t seem like that kind of person when I met him. And no one has really seen him in months now, it seems a little off.” Ladybug’s brows furrowed behind her lace trimmed ball mask.
“You don’t think Hawkmoth did something to him, do you?”
Chat snorted before he could stop himself. Like being his father and asking Adrien to help terrorize people? Causing him to run away and abandon his title?
Ladybug tilted her head, blinking up at him.
“No, I don’t think so,” he hurried to cover his wry amusement. “I think it’s more likely he’s being ransomed by bandits in the woods or ran off with pirates.”
She hummed again, raising her eyebrows once in acknowledgement before returning to scan the room. Chat did the same, frowning when he realized that the woman he’d hoped to see tonight was conspicuously absent.
“Have you seen Lady Marinette?”
“What? No!” Ladybug winced, lowering her voice and smiling at nearby dancers who had been startled by her outburst.
She spoke again, barely above a whisper. “Why would she be here?”
“She was named a noble, and the ball is for nobles. Why wouldn’t she be?” He spared Ladybug a look but returned to scanning the room for Marinette quickly.
He hoped she’d be in pink.
“Um, she’s not coming. She gave me her invitation tonight, we’re her representatives.”
Chat’s shoulders tried to droop and only years of practice kept them in place. He couldn’t do anything about how his polite smile faded immediately into a scowl, however.
“Oh.”
Ladybug’s eyes lit up, a smug little smirk making its way onto her face.
“And why are you so interested in seeing Marinette tonight, Chat?”
“No particular reason.” The words spilled out of him too quickly and her knowing smile widened.
“Aw, you like her!”
“Aren’t we supposed to be gathering information on Hawkmoth, not prying into my love life? Besides,” he huffed out, feeling a ball of frustration tangling inside his stomach. “She can’t afford to have an interest in a common petty thief, she’s nobility now.”
Ladybug’s shoulders inched inward, making her appear smaller in his arms. “Sorry, Chat. For the record, I think you’re very interesting anyway. Nobles are pretty boring.”
“You’re telling me,” he muttered, earning a sideways glance from Ladybug.
“Okay, so who here is going to be able to give us information about Hawkmoth? You said there was someone that would definitely be here.”
“Her name is Lila. She knows everything about basically everyone, and it’s all for sale to the highest bidder.” Chat’s eyes closed for a moment as he tried to recall whether Lila liked to show up fashionably late. “She’ll probably saunter in a little later.”
“So we just keep dancing until then? Why are we here so early?”
“Well, we needed to slip in with a crowd and I was, um.”
“Going to look for Lady Marinette?”
“Yeah, basically.”
“You were just going to abandon me to the wolves, to go dance with your lady friend?” Chat dipped Ladybug, anticipating the end of the song a moment before. As she dropped back, she released her grip on the hand holding his and brought it to her forehead with a coy smile. “Leaving me all alone. Not very gentlemanly, Chat Noir.”
“You are a vigilante, Ladybug. You are hardly incapable.” He hissed back through his teeth as another dancing couple came closer to them.
Ladybug snickered under her breath before schooling her features back into place. She looked away, nose scrunching up.
“Chat?”
Humming a reply, Chat took over watching the room as Ladybug studied his face. He noted Lady Chloe near one of the refreshment tables and began to move toward the opposite wall as subtly as possible. It had been almost a year but he was pretty sure she could still identify him if she got close enough.
His blond hair was a nightmare for being recognized, honestly.
“Thank you for helping me with all of this.” Ladybug idly waved a hand around, mouth lifting on one side. “I know that it’s not exactly in your line of work and I really do appreciate it. Appreciate you.”
Chat’s eyes widened as his head swiveled back to stare at her. Is she-
Ladybug’s eyes grew just as big as his and she backpedaled frantically, sputtering.
“Not- I- Appreciate you as a friend! Not, like, romantically or anything, that would be ridiculous right?” A lopsided smile took over her face and Chat felt his mouth twist in amusement as he tried not to laugh.
“Don’t worry Ladybug, I knew what you meant. I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t try to be with me while I’m focused on Lady Marinette, right?”
Chat lifted his head back up as Ladybug muttered her agreement into his chest. He looked at the entrance to the hall, squinting at the tall brunette in an elaborately embroidered orange gown and fox mask.
“I think that might be Lila? Hard to tell, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her. But she always liked foxes.”
He spun the two of them so Ladybug had line of sight to check out the potential target as well. She nodded and Chat took a moment to look at her. The closer they got to the fancier dressed people, the more they’d be likely to stick out, and she’d always been a commoner. The least his training could do would be to help her not blow her cover immediately.
He quickly glanced over the deep burgundy gown she’d borrowed, laced with black trim to match her mask. She’d told him a friend helped her get it properly positioned and he couldn’t see anything out of place. A bit of her hair was ruffled from their dancing, however, and that would probably be noticed.
“Alright, go fix your hair before we head over there, just tidy the curls on the left side a bit. I think they came loose when I dipped you.”
Ladybug nodded at him and briskly stepped off the dance floor to adjust the loose hair. A check of his own outfit showed nothing major out of place and Chat threw out a quick blessing to whoever had decided men’s fashion should be marginally easier to wear than women’s.
Snagging a glass of champagne from a passing servant, Chat slipped out onto an open air balcony to wait for Ladybug and clear his thoughts. He fidgeted with the hem of the jacket he wore before cursing under his breath and forcing his hands to be still.
Obtaining information from Lila was always risky. If any other courtesan traded gold, Lila traded secrets. It was never quite clear how much she knew, how much she could deduce based on what she knew, how much she bluffed in the hope it would give her even more information, and Chat had seen her on multiple occasions divulge only partial information, leaving her clients in peril so she could extort a higher payday from them at some later date. Her goals were unclear, even when he’d been in place as the prince. It was genuinely baffling whether she even had goals or just enjoyed drama. There were equal chances that she would out him immediately, blackmail him, or use the tension he caused to further her own goals.
He stared up at the sky, not really seeing the scattering of stars above him as he did. Please don’t let her do it in front of Ladybug. Prince Adrien being the son of Hawkmoth is everything that Marinette hates and I don’t think Ladybug could keep it from her.
No, Hawkmoth had to go down before she could know that her very good friend Chat Noir was Adrien. And, maybe if he was really lucky, she’d agree to let him court her at that point.
“Oh, thinking of your lady love, are we?”
Chat jumped at the sound of heels and Ladybug’s voice behind him. He grinned at her sheepishly as she came to lean on the bannister next to him. A deep sigh escaped her.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Chat looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Ladybug’s eyes were half closed, a worry line above her mask. She’d fixed her hair, but he noted the strain around her mouth.
“Are you sure? I can do this alone if needed.”
“No,” she breathed, turning to him and leaning one elbow on the stonework. “I really am okay. Just ready to be done with Hawkmoth, you know?”
Chat nodded. “Yeah.”
“What are your plans once all this nonsense is over?”
Looking back up at the sky, his mouth pulled into a tight line. “What makes you think I have plans?”
“You get this look when you’re thinking about her.”
Chat lowered his eyes to see that Ladybug had raised her own to take in the stars above as well. Something like a smile sat on her face, though slightly off-kilter.
“Like you’re seeing the most beautiful thing in the world but no one else can see it because it’s how you see her.” She straightened her neck again, looking directly into his eyes.
He rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved hand. “She is. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before, noble or not.”
“Meet a lot of nobles, do you?”
Offended, he went to answer, only to realize she must have been teasing based on the tilt of her lips. “More than you do. Meeting nobles is one of my favorite things. After I do, their pockets tend to be lighter. And mine, heavier.”
Ladybug barked out a laugh, remembering after a moment to cover her mouth to avoid being overheard.
“You’re right though.”
She jumped as Chat spoke again.
“I’m planning to move on with my life again. I’ve spent a long time hiding from everything. You and Marinette, you gave me a purpose to hold onto. Helping to take down Hawkmoth is probably the most important thing I’ll ever do.”
He smiled.
“And then I’m going to beg my lady to run away with me.”
He tilted his head as a lovestruck smile spread across Ladybug’s face before her eyes hardened and the determined moue took over once again.
“Alright, that’s probably enough dawdling then. Can’t ask your lady to marry you if we don’t deal with the villain first. Let’s go see what this Lila knows about Hawkmoth.” She stretched her arms overhead before turning back to the doorway. “Are you coming with me?”
Chat took a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a moment to steady himself. When he opened them, he saw Ladybug smiling expectantly up at him. He held an arm out for her to hold onto.
“Always. You and me against the world.”