Chapter Text
Cat Noir ran across the rooftops in the soft, darkening light of twilight. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but after a long, stressful day she’d felt a great urge to move. Running across the rooftops of Paris was where she felt most free, feeling the wind on her face, and breathing in the wide open sky. That feeling of freedom was rare, and the exercise always brought her such relief that she found herself out at night more and more often just for the sake of it.
Not exactly the safest way to proceed when you are a villain trying to stay out of the radar of Papillon and his heroes, maybe, but she’d done pretty well so far.
Cat Noir wouldn’t call herself proud, but she could not help the feeling of accomplishment that there were still no pictures of her in the news besides a few shots that went barely beyond a dark blur with what sometimes looked like a set of ears, or a tail. Those few blurry shots were the only reasons the Parisian public had a name to discuss her, as there were barely any concrete reports of her crimes beyond rumors and speculation. Between the powers of the Cat miraculous and her own natural abilities, she had a knack for not being spotted.
This overconfident train of thought was the reason why she let herself draw closer to the chaotic commotion she could see in the city center.
Hubris, Plagg would later inform her in his ever so delicate way, was historically an issue with holders of the cat miraculous. The notion had not consoled her in the least.
There were feathers everywhere - the pavement, cars, among treetops... That was usually the case when Mr. Pigeon, one of Hawkmoth’s favored champions, was involved. After all, as useful as commanding all of Paris’ pigeons turned out to be as a superpower, it came with a side effect of chaos.
It looked like the aftermath of a jewelry store robbery, judging by the smashed storefront she passed on the way and the smaller gems and trinkets which had spilled onto the sidewalk. Further ahead and cornered in a bend of the road was a duo of black dressed thugs holding large black bags behind them. The thinner, taller man was holding a gun in one hand and trying to stop the spilling of jewels from what looked like a singed hole in the bag with the other. It looked like he was the leader, as he barked orders to his larger, bulkier friend to throw everything he could grab at the heroes trying to approach them. He already looked plenty strong, but Cat Noir guessed the mechanical attachments on his arms were lending him extra strength, because the items he launched ranged from rocks and nearby trash cans to full cars, successfully keeping the heroes at bay.
Between keeping out of harm's way and trying to counter and stop the heavier objects from hurting anyone or destroying the city, Mr. Pigeon and his birds were fully occupied. With him were a couple of rookie heroes that she had not seen up close before. One of them was an electric charged, red clad, short black haired female hero - Ryuko, the press called her. She was trying to dodge the flying debris and approach the taller villain. Given his angry look and the gun being pointed carefully at her every movement, she was likely the cause of the burned tear on the villain’s bag.
The second rookie was a blond guy dressed in red, but his suit was speckled with black spots, giving him the look of a ladybug. He looked like he was having a hard time, sneezing repeatedly as the feathers from Mr. Pigeon's birds fell all around him as the birds protected him and the older hero from the attack.
It looked like the heroes were in proper trouble here. She'd almost left then - she could always find out how it went later on the news after all. But then the hero she'd later know as Mister Bug clenched his fists, swiped at his nose with the sleeve, and stood up straight with such a fierce look that she could not help but linger.
For all the determination on his face, what could this allergy overwhelmed looking rookie hero really do?
Mister Bug wiped his nose one last time and threw his yoyo up high, calling for his lucky charm. The small bouncy ball he received made no sense to her, but it only seemed to puzzle him for a brief moment. Before she knew it, he had launched the bouncy ball forwards. It flew not directly towards the villains, but bounced off of the walls on the side of the streets, lamp posts, and flying cars, making its way towards them erratically and unpredictably. It hit the skinny villain's hand, making his grip on his weapon unstable, and allowing Ryuko to overwhelm him.
The larger villain, who had been distracted by this development and momentarily paused his attack, roared in rage at the realization his friend was captured. But he did not even have time to react. In the commotion, Mister Bug had launched himself into the air and, using his yoyo and a nearby light post, slung himself straight at the big villain. The big villain barely processed Mister Bug coming in his direction before the hero crashed straight into him, the force of the collision knocking the villain out cold.
Cat Noir could scarcely believe her eyes. In a matter of seconds, this sneeze ridden rookie had effectively turned the tide of the battle, and the villains were soon tied up on the feather and debris-covered street below.
And what came next, Cat Noir would never forget. Mister Bug picked out the same red bouncy ball from a pile of feathers below, and threw it up high in the air, calling out for his Miraculous Cure.
The ball glowed pink up in the sky, and exploded into countless glowing ladybugs which swarmed in all directions of the Parisian night sky. Cat Noir could not help but step forwards from her spot in the shadow of a lower rooftop to get a better look. Not only were the little ladybugs glittering beautifully against the night sky, but they also seemed to be repairing the damage of the battle that had just occurred. In a matter of seconds, the street was fixed and clean - maybe even cleaner than when the battle had started.
How could she not stare?
A sudden chill down her spine interrupted her wonder filled upwards gaze. She looked back down to the street only to find a pair of bright green eyes looking straight at her.
Cat Noir quickly stepped back into the darkness, startled. Had Mister Bug just spotted her? She checked her surroundings- she’d stepped forwards, yes, but she had been sure she was still concealed in the shadows of her hiding spot. Had the glowing ladybugs illuminated the sky enough to reveal her position?
A moment later, Mister Bugs' gaze was drawn back to the praises of Mr. Pigeon next to him, and that was all Cat Noir needed to disappear into the night.
Maybe he had not seen her, but after what she’d seen tonight, she felt like that had been a close call.
Too close.