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‘Something unique… hmm, I can do that.’ Adrien mused in his head. “Hey could I borrow your camera for the night, I might just be able to do that for you.”
Marinette smiled, she had never quite gotten over her crush on Adrien, but at least since she had decided that if she was just going to be his friend she was going to act like a full on human being. Alya, of course, had a large hand in that, they had spent many a night practising. Adrien cleared his throat. She shook her head snapping out of her reverie. “Um, sure. The camera is nothing special, though. Just something my mum bought me for my birthday when I was younger.”
Adrien smiled that bright model smile at her. “Ya, but it's important that the shots have the same aesthetic. You know I have been in front of the camera myself a bit.”
She laughed at him, “I know silly." she dug a camera out of the drawer of her desk. "Here you go, best of luck.”
They passed the rest of the day with some UMS, battling each other to a near stand still until it was time for Adrien to go home. It was a lovely evening, so he decided to walk instead of calling for the car. He hummed quietly to himself as he enjoyed the sight of his city. Why was it that after being with Mari for any length of time he found himself relaxed and happy? After even a few minutes with Chlo, he could feel his shoulders bunch up. It wasn’t that she tried to work him up, but she always seemed to put a negative spin on everything unless it was about her. Mari always seemed the opposite, just like all of those images on her wall, she was always thinking about others. If it weren't for Ladybug, he would definitely want more of a relationship with Mari.
As he walked along a red flash overhead caught his attention. A familiar figure swung past, he had the camera up in an instant and took a shot, but when he looked at the screen, all he had was an out of focus image of her back. ‘No good.’ What incredible luck, though, even after being partners for a few years they still didn’t know each other's identities. He didn’t even have a way of contacting her unless they were both transformed. They had no schedule, they just had a knack for both showing up if there was an akuma on the loose. So her being out just when he needed her was a stroke of luck he normally didn’t have.
He jogged up the street, around the corner, and skidded to a halt. Looking around to catch his bearings he spotted in the middle of the square a column. Atop the column, there was the usual gold gilded winged statue, but perched in a squat on his right shoulder was his target. She seemed to be fiddling with her yo-yo. He skirted the edge of the square working towards the optimum angle for the shot.
Just as he found the perfect spot, she stood and turned away from him. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath and moved to see if he might still get a shot. As he did, she swivelled, turned and just as suddenly cast her yo-yo out swinging off away from him.
He took off at a run hoping to not lose her. As he reached the Seine, he spotted her standing atop of a building perfectly silhouetted against the evening sky. He cursed that Mari’s camera was not the best, but he couldn’t say much he was the one that had insisted on using it. As the camera came up, she took off at a run down the rooftops of the buildings that ran down the centre of Île Saint-Louis.
He ran down the narrow street that ran the length of the island. Between sports, fencing and being Chat Noir he was still barely able to keep up. She had always been faster than him. It was funny though, it seemed that she was always just ahead of him tonight. As he came to the far end of the island, he spotted his red and black prey. She was seated in a chair left out in front of the café that was at the end of the street just before the bridge that left the island.
This time he was going to get the shot. She was beautifully posed, arms loose on her lap, head slightly down, feet kicked out. He worked up along the building being as quiet as humanly possible. The red awning, the cobblestones, the green tree in the background this was gonna be the shot. Marinette was going to love it.
He stopped, adjusted his footing, slowly he brought the camera up. Oh, this was going to be perfect! He held his breath as he worked the zoom button. Suddenly she stood, her yo-yo whipped out into the distance, and she was gone!
Unbelievable! He ran out into the middle of the intersection and watched as she sailed off across the Seine. He watched as she did a flip and landed atop the apartment across the bridge. Shaking his head, he trotted off across the bridge hoping not to lose her.
She stood atop the building looking off into the distance, he grabbed a quick photo, but she was too far away. He hurried on and watched as her yo-yo zipped out latching onto the top most part of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
He was done! He had thought that this was going to be easy. He had no idea how Alya did it, he had no idea how Mari had got the shots of Chat that she had. He was going to cheat. He pulled open has dispatch bag, nestled in the bottom was Plagg.
“Cheese?” Yawned the tiny black cat god.
“Later Plagg for now, Transfome-moi!” Plagg shot up out of the bag, he swirled into Adrien's ring. In a green flash, Adrien disappeared replaced in an instant by Chat Noir. “There this should work better. She will have no idea,” he chuckled to himself as he drew out his staff and launched himself to the roof of the building that Ladybug had just been standing on.
He could see her hanging on the side of the spire atop the Cathédrale. She appeared to be studying here yo-yo once again, suddenly she turned in his direction, shook her head and then took off again. She was moving faster now. He finally caught up to her as she stopped in front of the Fontaine Saint-Michel. She stood in front of one of the dragons looking closely at her yo-yo once again. She seemed to be shaking her head.
She turned toward him as he approached, readying the camera. He wasn’t ready for the pained expression on her face. She shook her head and dashed off at a flat out run. He dropped the camera and let it dangle on the strap around his neck. He was sure she saw him. Oh, this was so confusing.
He extended his staff he sat atop it so he could get a better view. She had moved to the rooftops. She was running flat out. He let the staff fall in the direction she was going and made chase. It didn’t take long before he realised where she was going, the Eiffel Tower had become visible as he ran after her.
He watched as she hopped and sprang up the side, periodically using her yo-yo. He marvelled at her speed and agility. It didn’t take him long to reach the top. He found her sitting above the viewing deck amongst the antennas and dishes. She sat quietly with her feet pulled in tight.
“It didn’t take you long to catch up Kitty,” she said with a sigh as he landed beside her.
“You did give me a run for my money m’lady. May I have a seat?” she gestured to the spot beside her. He sat carefully. Close but not too close, almost afraid that she would bolt again. “You seemed to be in quite a rush. Is everything alright?”
Sounding sad she sighed, "actually Kitty no, no it's not."
"What's the matter Bugaboo? Did I do something wrong?"
"No Kitty, it was me, it's all my fault. I thought it would be fun, you had offered to take a picture of me for Marinette. It was supposed to be a fun game of hide and seek."
Chat smirked, "Oh you mean the camera my friend Adrien gave it to me so I could get a good shot."
Ladybug slowly shook her head, "sorry Adrien I can't pretend I don’t know. Please don’t hate me. I didn't mean it. It was supposed to be a game, honest." she buried her face in her hands. "I'm so stupid, we aren't supposed to play games. What we do is real, and I ruined it, I've made it messy and I can't undo it."
Chat sat looking off into the distance. "How?"
"I used a tracker on you. Like the one, you used on Kim when the zoo keeper was akumatized, I have them as well, it felt like a perfect way to tease you a bit. I could see when you stopped and were about to take a picture and I could scoot on ahead and then wait for you to catch up. It was perfect till suddenly the tracker disappeared, and Chat Noir was where Adrien was a moment before."
"Ah," he said in silence measuring his next words carefully. "Well, Bugaboo, to be honest, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. I can honestly say that I am not disappointed. I know we have always said that it was safer to not know, but it was only a matter of time. As for playing, of course we play. How many times have we chased each other all over Paris? Playing, training same same as far as I am concerned."
She brought her head up and looked at him for the first time since they arrived. "Are you sure Kitty?"
"Of course I'm sure, I trust you, I have always trusted you with my life." he chuckled. "Now I know how Mari got all of those awesome shots of Chat Noir, she is a friend of yours somehow. Oh, and Plagg detransform." In a shower of black and green suddenly Adrien was sitting next to her. "This doesn't mean that I need to know who you are."
Ladybug sat staring, "actually Adrien I think it does. Tikki detransform." In a shower of pink and red suddenly Marinette Dupain-Chang was sitting beside a flustered looking Adrien. "Hi Kitty, surprise, it actually was Marinette that took those Chat Noir pictures sort of. I am kinda amazed you haddnt figured it out from the times I snuck my camera along to get them."
Adrien felt his cheeks ache as a smile blossomed. "Honest I had no clue but, do you know what this means Bugaboo?"
"Um. No?" She said slightly puzzled.
He grinned at her. "I can ask both my favourite girls out on a date without making the other jealous!" he said excitedly.
The happy giggle that rushed from her told him she was going to say yes.
“Hey, are you up to transform? I still need a photo of Ladybug. We have all night I am sure we can get a few pawesome ones. “He snickered we can even send a few to the Ladyblog.”
They stood together with the whole city below them Marinette reached up her lips finding his. She sighed heavily before pulling back her pigtails whipping out behind her. “Tikki transforme moi!” in a red and pink flash standing before Adrien was Ladybug he and it was like looking at her for the first time.
He just about had the camera up when she snickered and disappeared off the edge.
“That’s how it's going to be eh. Okay. Plagg transforme moi!” after being enveloped in a green flash he was off in pursuit of a unique photo