The Life Of A Superhero (closed rp with: miraculous-ladybuq)

themysteriouscatnoir

Ladybug couldn’t have been more happy when Chat Noir offered a plan to rid the Minisculist of his pendant.

A distraction while the other person retrieve the object?

That was what they did best, after all.

So, with a slight smirk and a tilt of the head, the red-and-black super heroine would glance sideways at her partner. A momentary silence would pass between them, before Ladybug had to duck again, when the villain let loose another laugh, firing a bolt of energy their way.

“You distract and I retrieve?” She’d ask, smiling quickly again, as she peaked her head out from behind the tree, “Since your, ah, charm might keep him busy for a little while?”

Without waiting for an answer; however, Ladybug would take the chance when Minuscule paused in his laser-shooting. After giving Chat Noir a wave, she would then dive towards the nearest car, using her yo-yo once she was safely behind it to pull herself upward with the help of the streetlight beside her.

In a fit of rage, the Minisculist would aim his pendant at her, readying himself for another flurry of shrink-beams, when the super heroine would improvise by tossing a rock at his head. By the time he would recuperate from such an attack, Ladybug would already be swinging towards a tree, in hopes of using it to hide herself, so she could call forth her Lucky Charm and that Chat Noir can keep the enemy busy while she did so. 

Venus “Fly-trap”

Sometimes the best - most unconventional - plan of attack was to flap the jaws, to confound the mind and keep the enemy from considering other methods of approach to strike against them. Chat Noir had that covered, he could talk the ear off of one who would lean to listen, about any topic of their choosing! It was a mighty strange condition, if one would sit to think about it more thoroughly, why he seemed so hungry for conversation, for anything really that would initiate a bond of close contact.

Things could have been a lot worse. Ladybug could handle her own under most circumstances, but why should she when she had a perfectly capable partner to call her own? He’d been distracted by……. other responsibilities, the sort his ‘real’ life would dictate he must finish. And would still need to finish when the battle was all said and done. Already he was working up an excuse on why he suddenly bolted from the middle of a shoot.

Eh…. it was what it was. He hated lying, sometimes it couldn’t be helped. For their sake as well as his own.

The two of them were separated before proper greetings could be exchanged, the perfectly stabby spikes of the vines to emerge from their spot in the ground, ripping up concrete and tearing apart pavement with the sheer force of its velocity. Clawing those would hurt as much as allowing them to wrap about the body. He was fluid enough to ‘dance,’ fancy footwork carrying him as rapidly away as he could manage, his staff helping him to vault to safety very near to where his Lady perched.

Ehhhhhhhh, the worst thing to do was to be touched by anything she could conjure. There could be poison or…. worse, vines thick enough to retrain, to squeeze the life out of whatever it was they managed to grab hold of. There was little humorous about the situation, but…. sometimes good natured jests had to be found to keep the heart from beating its way right out of the chest! Such a level of stress was exactly what pushed Chat over the edge of logic, joking and laughing, his way of dealing with it all.

They put their heads together, conferring the best they could with the wild way the lady was unleashing her shrubbery about the world. It could rapidly climb wherever they hid, there was no safe place to unwind more solid tactics.

“Yes.” Chat Noir gave a curt nod, confirming no more once a slight indication of what they had to expect was shared. He jumped, prepared to play his own part in the fight at large.

The shield to stand at her back when necessary, the sword with the biting strike, he was the one who must draw the eye of the most dangerous sort, the purification needing an opening to be performed to its best capacity. The Lady was the real brains to the duo.

“Aaaaand, I’m back, by poplar demand.” Chat announced to their newest villain, grinning wide at her where he landed very near to where she planted herself. “What’s stomata? You’ve been knotty. Gettin’ a little overwhelmed?” If he wasn’t caught in such a precarious position, he would have been laughing at himself, what he was able to achieve in a singular conversation.

Hey, the pun was a lost art, it took great poise to deliver appropriately!

He tapped his staff on the ground, elongating it enough to begin to swing at the vines to come too close, batting them back, away from him. But also to cause a big enough ruckus to keep the things eye on him, not his Lady.

“What’s the root of your problem? Why so serious?”

Of all the days for this plant-lady to pop up, of course it just had to be when she had a project due in less than twenty-four hours. 

Was it possible for her to finish the job and get a good grade in class? Well, yes, but it was still such a hassle to even go through. Not to mention, she would be immensely tired, afterwards and...

Agh, never-mind that now.

Ladybug was Ladybug at the moment and not Marinette. There was no use in complaining about such mundane things when a raging akuma-victim was at large. One who was especially mad and was currently causing for various greenery to grow throughout the streets of Paris. 

As she continued to watch from upon the the lamp-post, the superheroine would narrow her eyes to try and focus on the happenings in front of her. Chat Noir was already off doing his thing, tossing out pun after pun and annoying the enemy in a more or less successful attempt at keeping her at bay. Ladybug didn’t know whether to be impressed or...well, frightened with just how quickly he was able to come up with such cheesiness, but that didn’t matter now.

So long as it worked, she was happy.

‘Venus’- after yet another aggravated screech- would launch forth a disarray of vines from the ground, sending them straight at Chat Noir over and over again. Ladybug watched as he used his staff, waving it back and forth to try and deflect the plants as best he can and she couldn’t help but notice that the enemy’s attention was also fully set on him and not her. 

“The root of  my problem right now is you, you annoying vermin!” The woman yelled, causing for Ladybug to blink. 

Well, way to go, Kitty.

With a wry smirk, the red-and-black super heroine would then leap off from where she had been perched, doing a backflip as she whipped out her yo-yo towards another building across the street. In one swift movement, Ladybug would swing from the string and readied her legs, aiming a hard kick at the enemy, while she was still busy trying to attack Chat Noir. 

Ladybug felt her foot make contact with Venus’ side, before actually seeing the green-lady fly backwards, shouting in rage. 

In an instant, the super heroine would right herself and flip out of the way of the new set of vines that Venus would conjure up, before landing right beside Chat Noir. For the time being, it seemed as though their enemy was too busy tending to her newfound bruise, while whining, and thus giving Ladybug and her partner the chance to deduce, exactly, where her akimbo was hiding.

“Any idea where the Akuma is, Chat?” She’d ask, twirling her yo-yo around in her one hand with her attention still set on the akumatized-victim in front. 

The Rabbit Master

the-coolest-cat

Ah, of course.

His cuff.

What would she do without Chat Noir?

Ladybug couldn’t help the smirk that would begin to make its way onto her face when Chat Noir snatched the thing right from the struggling man’s wrist. The current scene was more or less disastrous, but she wasn’t worried. After all, nothing fixed chaos like luck itself did. 

When Chat brought his hand up to toss the akumatized cuff into the air, Ladybug would react quickly, readying her yo-yo as her eyes remained focused upon the object. In one swift snap of her wrist, the red-and-black superheroine would capture the cuff and snap it in half, in order to prepare it for purification.

Her Lucky Charm would do the rest and erase all the debris that had been caused by ‘Sir Hare,’ bringing everything back to normal once again. The entire process on its own would last about two minutes and once it was done and over with- Ladybug would release the newly purified butterfly back into the air. 

“No more wrong-doing for you, little butterfly,” The girl would say, smiling, as she watched the critter flap its wings towards who-knows-where. Another akuma off the streets, meant that Hawk Moth was getting weaker by the day. That in itself was enough to bring a tired smile onto Ladybug’s face.

With that done, she would then turn towards her partner and casually hold up a knuckle, waiting for him to do their traditional fistbump.

“I say, it’s a job well done, eh Mon Chat?” 

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual. 

As she stepped on his tail, he slipped again, face planting once more, albeit not so roughly this time. He managed to catch himself before too much damage was done, and instead shifted to rest on his knees, his ears twitched a bit, his head tilted down so his hair cast a shadow over his face. “L-Ladybug..” he began, unsure of how to even start explaining himself.”I-..” he gulped, turning his head a bit, he could see her, but for the most part, his face was still cast in shadow.

“I-I’m not..who you think I am..” he said, his voice failing him on those last few words, making them a little too faint to be properly understood. Meanwhile, from within the ring on his hand, a soft pulse of energy reminded him that he shouldn’t be interacting with her…he ignored it. Of course he knew better, of course he knew it would only cause trouble for her, he didn’t need Plagg to remind him of that. Though…he left that world to protect his Ladybug…and he wasn’t even sure if it had worked…

He simply couldn’t turn away when she asked him something so directly..even if she wasn’t his Ladybug.

There was only so much she could do as a superhero and apparently, being able to comfort her own partner was not one of them.

The sight of him just on his knees would cause for her to feel some form of guilt for having stepped on his tail in the first place, but of course, she didn’t regret it. She knew that if she hadn’t, then he would be long gone by now, running towards who-knows-where, while she was left with more questions than answers. 

And as she watched him, Ladybug couldn’t help but scour her eyes over his strangely different form. It literally had only been half an hour since she had last seen him and he was in his usual, pun-tastic mood, at that. What…what even happened after they had defeated the akuma villain and parted ways?

Having been lost in her thoughts, Ladybug would only snap her attention back to the boy in front of her, when he spoke a very faint line that she was only able to catch a few words from. Something along the lines of how he wasn’t who she thought he was, perhaps?

Instantly, she would frown and took another step closer, afraid of driving him away again if she were to move too fast. She had never seen him resemble a frightened cat so much in her entire existence as Ladybug and honestly…she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred the happy-go-lucky Chat Noir, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Hey, hey,” She’d say, trying to sound as comforting as possible, as she took another daring step closer to him and knelt down by his side, “Relax. I think you’re just stressed with all this ‘saving the world’ mumbo jumbo. Plus, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with in your other life, am I right?”

Ladybug had assumed that maybe he was just having a mental breakdown- a norm for a young superhero like himself. So, maybe…maybe she can coax him out of this fit? 

Hopefully, would be more of the right term.

Placing a reassuring palm upon his shoulder, Ladybug would tilt her head so that he would be forced to look at her straight on. And because of the new view, she was able to take a glance at him herself, to ensure that he was alright. She took in his familiar black mask, before she noticed all of the other oddities. Everything seemed to be well enough. But when she saw the actual length of his hair , then the actual shaping of his jaw-line and then…his eyes…

Ladybug would let out an astonished gasp, flinging herself away from him and immediately went to the bag around her hip to draw out her yo-yo. 

“Chat- Chat Noir?” She’d ask in disbelief, “Stay back! What did you do to him?!” 

She knew her Chat. And this person was definitely not him, despite the painstaking similarities. That would explain it then! So, was Hawk Moth behind all of this?

Ladybug groaned internally. Perfect. Just when she was about to transform back into Marinette too.

He stood slowly, deliberately, determination in his every movement. He straightened his back, but kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders were certainly broader than those of her Chat Noir, and he seemed a bit more toned, as though he might have been a slight bit older. He turned away from her, showing his back, despite the fact that she was ready to strike.

“…I am Chat Noir.” he stated, voice quivering a bit as he tried to contain the pain he felt from her sudden recoil. 

“Just..” he relaxed a bit, turning to face her, those bright  crystal blue eyes visible in the reflecting moonlight, the green lenses doing little to hide neither their natural shade, nor the pain he hid behind them as he put on a weak smile.

“…Just…not your Chat Noir…I..I’m sorry.” He turned away from her, and dove off the building and into the shadows, taking off as fast as his feet would carry him, ignoring Plagg’s constant pulsing, as though he were trying to keep him from fleeing into the night. 

This was why he’d avoided contact, surely they’d never understand…right? If anything, he probably seemed like just another foolish villain trying to trick her, or something of that nature. He wouldn’t expect her to understand, after all, she had her life here, she had her Chat Noir, he wasn’t about to have her worry over him when she had other things to occupy her mind. These were the lies he told himself as he ran. If it had not been for Plagg, he assumed the Papillon of this world would’ve claimed his mind a long time ago…

‘…Not your Chat Noir…’

She wouldn’t have believed him either, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just looked into those…those blue orbs just moments ago. 

And yet still- his words seemed to rush through her like a wave and although she understood what he meant- she also didn’t at the same time. 

Not her Chat Noir, but he was a Chat Noir? How many of him were there?! But once again, before Ladybug could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the…the other Chat had already bolted away while she had been distracted.

Her blue eyes followed the boy’s dark shadow as it seemingly floated through the night, leaping off various buildings in the process. At that very moment, she had it in mind to just let him go. If he hadn’t been her’s, then there was really no point in her fussing over all of this, right? 

But then again…ugh. 

So many things could go wrong, if she just let this slide. What if he was one of Hawk Moth’s new puppets? Or worse- What if Chat Noir had been brainwashed and somehow been altered physically, as well and…

Right then and there, Ladybug would make up her mind. Wasting no time, she would then dart quickly off the side of the building and dash the short few yards it took for her to get back to her house. Upon arrival, Ladybug would toss her yo-yo around the bars of her bedroom balcony and hoist herself up in one smooth leap, landing on the platform a few seconds after.

“Alright, change back,” She’d say aloud, as Tikki began to de-transform her before she had even gotten all of her words out, “I’m going to need to go back out there.”

As Marinette, the girl would then bolt downstairs to the bakery, making sure to stay as silent as possible to keep from waking up her parents. Her Kwami- although a bit lethargic- would float swiftly behind her.

“Marinette, I don’t think you should follow him! He said it himself, he wasn’t our Chat!” Tikki would say, landing tiredly on the girl’s shoulder, “And I can’t transform any-”

“Here,” Marinette interjected, handing the Kwami the cookie she had just swiped from one of the bakery trays, before stuffing her own bag with another handful for extra precaution, “And we have to go after him, Tikki. Either way, we have to find out what’s going on.”

With that said, Marinette watched as her Kwami nodded- albeit a bit reluctantly-and unable to speak due to the fact that it was stuffing its mouth with the cookie it had just been given. 

“You ready?” She asked after a good minute, already having ran back upstairs to her bedroom, “Then ‘Spots On, Tikki.’”

—-

The transformation- although pretty much the same as all the other times- took a bit too long for her liking in that very moment. She was in a hurry, for crying out loud and if there had been any time in her life where she wished she was permanently Ladybug- then this would’ve been one of them.

She was currently flying from building to building, flashing out her yo-yo every so often when she needed to change her direction. In her mind, Paris couldn’t have been that big, as to where, Chat Noir would never be found by her again that night. So, with that optimistic thought in mind, Ladybug would continue her search.

Her blue eyes would continue to dart around her, as she leaped, the air billowing against her tied hair. As much as she hated to say it- it was actually nice to do something so freely for once, while in uniform. 

But before she could relish too much in that fact, she knew that she had to find Chat Noir first. 

Thankfully, after a moment, a familiar shadow would be spotted moving fluidly with the dark of the night. Ladybug paused in her trek, dangling by the ends of her yo-yo, as she watched the other boy.

Should she just…yell his name?

Ugh. No, that probably wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, Ladybug would whip out her yo-yo to change her course once again, before heaving herself onto the next building he was going to leap onto. 

“Stop running!” She called out, pulling her weapon back to her side, before making the split second decision to direct it towards him. If he hadn’t been able to maneuver away from it in time, Ladybug would make sure to wrap her yo-yo around the boy’s body to keep him from bolting from her again.

Not until she got what she needed, at least. 

With a twitch of the ears and a flick of the tail, Chat noir almost seemed to fade back beyond the reach of her Yo yo. Moving so quickly that the most visible part of him then had been his eyes as they reflected the moonlight. He’d reached up, letting the taut wire of the Yo-yo wrap around his forearm, rather than his body. Standing there, broad shouldered and grim, he half-faced her, his body poised as if to say ‘I can leave when I want, and you won’t stop me.’

“..Ladybug.” He said, his tone a bit pained at the word. “…You have to forget me, you have to go back, be who you are, be the hero you’ve always been. I don’t belong here, and you should have nothing to do with me…” he added, looking away, his wrapped up arm still held up at eye level.

“I told you, I’m not your Chat Noir. That’s all you need to know…please, just let me leave. You won’t see me again.” 

Of course, it was a bit much for him to assume she’d just let him waltz off…but he really didn’t want to fight her. Even if she wasn’t the girl he’d fallen in love with. She seemed so much like her..that it was almost too much for him to bear.

Ladybug didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.

She had followed the yo-yo with her eyes, assuming that it would secure itself around Chat Noir’s body, like it normally does, but would eventually be proven wrong by what he did next. By turning his body a certain way, this Chat had managed to only get his arm caught up in its strings, causing for one particular super-heroine’s jaw to fall open. 

Just like that, Ladybug would feel her cheeks turn just as red as her uniform. 

Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to be so…so nimble, as this one was! Chat- Her Chat- wouldn’t even run away from her and be as cryptic as this! And because of the obvious differences that she now had just processed, Ladybug would mentally scold herself for not having noticed it in the first place. 

She was an idiot. Would Chat have known it wasn’t her if their situation had been switched?

Probably.

Which, of course, did not make her feel any better about this whole ordeal.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she would then fold an arm across her stomach, before bringing her free hand up to rub at her temple. The words that were coming out of his mouth had been made to seem so simple. But how, exactly, could she just…leave him be? Yes, he wasn’t her Chat Noir, but he was still….Chat Noir.

Ugh, she was starting to get a headache from all of this.

Ladybug- after having recollected herself enough- would draw in a long breath and return her gaze back towards the other boy. The dim light of the moon would cause for the look on her face to seem that much more eerie, though the sound of her voice would make her seem younger- smaller, even.

“You can’t leave. Not yet,” She’d say softly. Despite her words, she would extend a hand out to retract her yo-yo back to her, leaving his arm free from its reins. 

“Just…just tell me who you are. If you’re not my Chat, then…what did you do to him?” 

If this person did something that would lead to her not seeing Chat again, then…honestly, Ladybug wouldn’t know what to do with herself. 

They were a team. A great team, at that. 

She would be nothing without his bad luck to balance her’s out. 

And…and she needed his puns to keep her sane during their missions.

“I’m no one, just a stray.” He commented as he turned his back to her.”I didn’t do anything to him. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. But he’s fine. He doesn’t even know about me…but if he’s anything like me…well, he’s probably at home thinking about you.” He commented, “After all, he is head over heels for you.” He said, feigning cheer in his voice as he dropped into the alley below, hoping that the comment would more than suffice in keeping her c confused long enough for him to make a third attempt at a getaway.

Meanwhile on the other side of the river, across from the Fontain du Palmier, sat a rather large and wealthy looking mansion..and in one of those rooms, sat a boy at his computer, looking over a certain rather popular blog, about a certain heroine.

And then he sneezed rather loudly, slid back on his rolling chair, fell over, rolled backwards twice and smacked into the wall of his bedroom. 

“O-ow.” Adrien grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. 

A friendly little Kwami floated by, laughing as he scarfed down some Camembert. “Geez~ Someone must really be  makin’ fun of you out there~! ha!.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “That or I’m developing an allergy to your cheese habits.” he replied with a grin. “Might have to cut down on your supply, don’t you think Plagg? Wouldn’t want me getting sick right?” He replied with a tease as he got up and headed for his desk once more.

“W-what? Don’t even joke about that! You’re kidding right?…Adrien?…You’re just messing with me..right?”

…

A stray.

A stray, huh?

One that just happened to have the same uniform as Paris’ feline hero? She didn’t think so. However, she refrained from saying anything about it, until he was done speaking. 

Ladybug kept her gaze on him, even as he turned his back to her. She listened to his every word, waiting to hear the answer that she had been hoping for and when it came- she couldn’t help the subtle sigh of relief that had escaped from her lips. 

Her Chat Noir was safe and from what she had just been informed- he also had no idea of what was currently happening under the moonlight. She was about to move forward again, in hopes of maybe coaxing him into letting her help, if he really was a…well, a stray, when he what he said next stopped her in her tracks. Ladybug blinked, hearing a little chime coming from her earring, as Tikki reacted to the boy’s words, as well. 

Chat Noir was just an overall flirt. Nothing more to it than that, right? But even though that was what she kept telling herself whenever he presented her with a flower or a compliment of sorts- Ladybug still felt as though she had just swallowed glue when she heard her suspicions being voiced by a complete stranger.

Well, almost a complete stranger.

She was about to inquire more on the topic, but would only manage a, “W-wait!” once she saw the other boy take a step and descended swiftly into the alley below. 

And then- just like the shadows- he was one with the darkness.

—————————————————– 

The following morning came in a blur for one particular girl, who just couldn’t seem to keep herself awake in class.

Twice did the teacher have to stop her lecture in order to get Marinette’s attention, albeit in an embarrassing way both times. And yet despite telling herself to not close her eyes again, she would still somehow manage to fall asleep, only to be jolted awake by Ayla from beside her.

“Long night?” Her best friend would ask in a hushed tone, to which she would simply nod back in response.

‘Long night’ was more or less an understatement. 

After having gone back to her room with more questions than answers, Ladybug would shift back into Marinette, only to go to bed staring at the ceiling for the remainder of the night.

Her body knew that she needed to rest, but she, herself, didn’t want to go to sleep, per se.

In fact, she actually wanted the complete opposite. She was sort of hoping for a little akuma drama to pop up, just so she could see Chat Noir and to reassure herself that he was alright and that he was still his happy-go-lucky self.

Whoever that person was last night was probably long gone by now. 

Or she’d hoped.

If this stray appeared again, Ladybug probably wouldn’t  know where to even begin with dealing with him- let alone Marinette. 

As the class day ended, Adrien found himself standing up and stretching out wide. The day’s lecture had been long, and relatively boring. He blinked when he heard a bit of snoring behind him, turning only to find Marinette fast asleep for the third or fourth time that day, with Alya looking more than out of her element in trying to wake the girl up.

He walked up the step and shot Alya a questioning look, which received nothing more than a shrug and a motion for him to try waking her up.

“Marinette? Hey-um, class is over you know. Gotta get up now.” he said with a bit of a smile, lightly tapping the girl’s shoulder. Not noticing the gleeful smirk on Alya’s face, clearly, the girl was simply waiting for Marinette’s reaction upon seeing Adrien so surprisingly close.

Marinette could have sworn she had been wide awake when the instructor left the room, followed by a few other students who had been waiting to go home.

In fact, she was so certain that she had her eyes opened the entire time, that she would even begin to turn towards Alya, asking where she’d want to go for lunch that day.

But then, of course, came the sudden look on her best friend’s face, turning from amusement to confusion, before ultimately her head would be switched out with Chat Noir’s from the night before and then to Adrien’s gorgeous features. 

‘Gotta get up now.’

And it was, indeed.

In reaction to the odd dream, Marinette would shot up from where she had her head rested on the desk, smacking her knee hard against the bottom of the wooden frame. She instantly let out a pained yelp, grasping at the newly bruised area with her hands, before scowling upward to see the familiar faces of both Alya and…Adrien.

Oh God.

A started look would cross the girl’s face, as she stood up from her seat and tried to play off that everything was completely fine.

That is, until Alya quickly moved to stand behind Adrien and gestured wildly with a hand for Marinette to wipe her cheek. Frowning in a confused manner, Marinette would do exactly that, until the back of her hand came back a bit damp from the slight drool stain she had received from having slept on her desk.

Fantastic.

“O-Oh,” She’d say, laughing sheepishly, as she clasped her hands behind her back, “Is it that time already?”

Cue another awkward laugh and a pitiful look from Alya, who would pretend to have been staring at a rather interesting stain on the wall when Marinette shot her a look. 

He let out a soft laugh. Smiling as he headed for the door. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it, everyone has rough nights right? Its not so bad. Besides, no one even noticed.” he replied with a playful wink in her direction as he headed out.  He could feel some shifting in his messenger bag, which meant Plagg was getting feisty for cheese, which of course meant he had to get the heck out of there quick. Before the little goofball got loose anyway.

He was in the back of his car before the duo of Marinette and Alya had made it out of the building. He’d reprimanded Plagg before getting in too, though he promised a good deal of Camembert when they got home…that is, until he saw something that left him shocked, confused, and entirely lost. See, right across the way…Chat Noir was running away from a street vendor with a bag on his shoulder.

“I…wait…what?” he said as he practically pressed his face to the car window, watching the figure flee.

That day, Felix had managed to ‘snag’ a few of the essentials, a water bottle, some and currently?…a sandwich off a street-side vendor’s cart..all tough this time, he might not have been lucky…but then, when was he? He dashed past the cart sandwich in hand.

“HEY, YOU! STOP!” the owner called out to him as Felix ran past, not noticing that he’d forgotten to get out of costume, so here he was, in full Chat Noir attire as he made his way past a nearby school…He needed to get out of sight, quickly. How often had he stolen things now?..well..he needed them…he carried a bag on his back with some of the things he’d…collected, and he was making his way toward the bridge as quick as possible..whilst a siren was heard in the distance.

‘No, Nonono, can’t get caught..who knows how much damage it’ll do to his reputation…’ He thought as he ran.

“What was that?”

Marinette was still frozen in her spot, waving mindlessly, as she watched the love of her life walk away from her. She didn’t even process anything else that was happening and honestly, all that was going through her mind was, ‘Tuez-moi s'il vous plaît. (Kill me please).’  She had never wanted to hide under a rock so badly in her entire existence.

“Marinette!” The sound of her best friend’s voice would call out again from beside her, before she would see a tanned hand being waved in front of her face, “Don’t tell me you fell asleep standing up.” 

At that comment, Marinette would turn her head around and set her face into a firm scowl. She did not need to be reminded about what had happened five minutes prior and thankfully- Alya seemed to get the hint and would offer a sympathetic smile instead of her usual teasing remark.

“Oh, relax,” The blogger would say, grabbing her best friend’s bag for her, before Marinette took it from her grasp, “I bet he thought it was adorable.”

Hah. If only…

She knew it was far from the truth, but wouldn’t voice it aloud, because it was really nice of Alya to try and cheer her up whenever she had these moments. These…these embarrassing moments, to be more precise. 

And honestly, she couldn’t have asked for a better wing-woman.

As the two walked out of the building, trying to turn the conversation towards a different topic- Marinette couldn’t help but think about what that other Chat Noir had told her the previous night. 

Chat- her Chat- was head over heels…for her? Her. The one who literally just drooled in front of the boy she had been crushing on for ages now. 

It was a bit hard to believe.

Well, to be fair, it was Ladybug he had been referring to, so…

Before she could even begin to  over-think again, the sudden sight of the devil himself would emerge from across the street, as another voice bellowed angrily  from behind it.

“HEY, YOU! STOP!” The vendor would say, throwing a towel of sorts in the shadow’s direction, as Marinette’s gaze immediately tried to focus on it.

It was fast. Very fast.

But nonetheless, she still knew who it was.

“Er- I forgot something inside, don’t wait up for me!” Marinette would stammer out quickly, before rushing back inside and ignoring her friend’s confused ‘wait!’

Once she was within the privacy of the now-empty classroom, she would open up her bag to let out the Kwami, who looked as though it had been expecting her to do so.

“Tikki,” was all Marinette needed to say, before the Kwami would nod and float above her head, “Spots on!” 

The transformation came and went and once the red-and-black swirls dispersed- Ladybug would be left where Marinette had been standing. Wasting no time, the superheroine would bolt out of the school’s back entrance and pull out her yo-yo, swinging it outward, in order to maneuver herself towards the direction where the Chat Noir was headed. 

Felix made a mad dash across the bridge, aiming to lose the authorities in the alleys across the way. His breathing rasped and tired. He hadn’t eaten in a while, and all the supplies he’d…liberated, were not the type that he could eat as he ran. He needed to get to the Eiffel tower, he’d set up a little base there, between one of the higher beams. It was a little precarious, but it was safe enough…if he could just get there before drawing attention to himself…

Adrien blinked, watching the figure run toward the bridge, as he looked up however, he noticed a familiar red and black polka-dotted heroine swinging after him. Which brought a rather wide smile to his face. He quickly got out of the car, scooping Plagg into his shirt pocket as he did.

“Head for home, I’ll take the bus back later, I just remembered something i need to do!” he told his river as he ran, ducking down a side-road where no one would see him.

“Alright Plagg, Claws out!” he called out as he ran, grinning gleefully as he felt the transformation take hold. He leapt into the air, using his bo-staff to propel him forward. Before long, he had caught up with his favorite lady luck~, and was falling in line with her speed. He dashed forward a bit, leaping backward as he moved so he could see her face to face.

“Heya bugaboo~ Lookin’ awesome as ever.” he said, giving her a wink as he landed on a rooftop, pulled off a few back flips by accident as he nearly tumbled backwards, then proceeded to turn and face forward so as to avoid being a klutz.

”So, care to tell me who or what we’re chasin’ today?” he asked with a cheerful tone.

With one swing after another, Ladybug would eventually end up on the tallest building in the area, while her feet moved swiftly beneath her as she tried to keep her target in sight. 

Now that it was daytime, there is no doubt in her mind that this person was not the Chat that she had come to call her partner, but rather the impostor from the night before. If it weren’t for the elongated tail that flew behind him as he ran- then it would be his nimble movements and steady gestures as he ran that would give him away. Whoever this person was, Ladybug had a feeling he was more...er...mature and trained, perhaps? 

That certainly wouldn’t be a surprise, after all she had witnessed from the night before. 

A few paces further and Ladybug would have just leaped over a chimney, when she heard it- his voice.

And not only that, but his cheesy nickname for her would be the first thing he said, along with his usual flirtatious line. Strangely enough, Ladybug felt a shiver run through her spine, at the sudden awkwardness of it all. 

“No time for that, Chat,” She’d say, silently thanking the lord for not having stammered her words, “We have to- ...I saw your-...”

....

Out of all the things she had been worrying about, this little scenario had not been one of them.

How was she supposed to tell Chat Noir that they were after a Chat Noir, whom she had ran into after the original Chat Noir left the night before? 

Holding back a groan, Ladybug would use the time that he spent back-flipping for who-knows-why on the roof to think of a way to explain the situation so that she wouldn’t be the one to sound crazy. Which, of course, was inevitable, but still. She could lighten the blow somehow, right?

When the boy righted himself again and asked her the one question she had been expecting and dreading- Ladybug would flash a sheepish grin his way, before turning her gaze back towards the front. The other Chat Noir was currently still in motion and she would immediately leap over onto the next rooftop, clearing her throat in the process. 

“Well, you see...” She'd breath out mid-run, assuming that it would be a good start if anything, “We’re...uh- we’re chasing Chat Noir! Yeah-this will be easy, no worries-let’s just keep running-ask questions later.”

Ladybug had to admit that she sounded a lot more cheerfully fake than she would have liked, but she figured the run-on words at the end of her statement would keep him busy long enough. There really was no way for her to explain anything to him if she didn’t know much about the circumstances herself. Therefore, the only way to get anything answered would be to catch up with the other Chat. Again. 

Picking up her pace so that Chat Noir wouldn’t question her on what she had just said, the superheroine would then whip out her yo-yo and latch it upon the next building. In one leap, she would then swing her body towards the ground, aiming at the corner where she assumed their target was currently about to turn into.

Ladybug would then land with a graceful roll and rise into her usual fighting position, arms raised and feet apart. 

“Looks like we meet again, Stray,” She’d say, raising an eyebrow.

And oh golly gee, she just couldn’t wait to see how Chat Noir would react to seeing this...Chat Noir. 

Ladybug would hold back yet another groan at her own thoughts.  

Reblog if its okay to message you on anon until I am comfortable enough to reveal myself to you

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual. 

As she stepped on his tail, he slipped again, face planting once more, albeit not so roughly this time. He managed to catch himself before too much damage was done, and instead shifted to rest on his knees, his ears twitched a bit, his head tilted down so his hair cast a shadow over his face. “L-Ladybug..” he began, unsure of how to even start explaining himself.”I-..” he gulped, turning his head a bit, he could see her, but for the most part, his face was still cast in shadow.

“I-I’m not..who you think I am..” he said, his voice failing him on those last few words, making them a little too faint to be properly understood. Meanwhile, from within the ring on his hand, a soft pulse of energy reminded him that he shouldn’t be interacting with her…he ignored it. Of course he knew better, of course he knew it would only cause trouble for her, he didn’t need Plagg to remind him of that. Though…he left that world to protect his Ladybug…and he wasn’t even sure if it had worked…

He simply couldn’t turn away when she asked him something so directly..even if she wasn’t his Ladybug.

There was only so much she could do as a superhero and apparently, being able to comfort her own partner was not one of them.

The sight of him just on his knees would cause for her to feel some form of guilt for having stepped on his tail in the first place, but of course, she didn’t regret it. She knew that if she hadn’t, then he would be long gone by now, running towards who-knows-where, while she was left with more questions than answers. 

And as she watched him, Ladybug couldn’t help but scour her eyes over his strangely different form. It literally had only been half an hour since she had last seen him and he was in his usual, pun-tastic mood, at that. What…what even happened after they had defeated the akuma villain and parted ways?

Having been lost in her thoughts, Ladybug would only snap her attention back to the boy in front of her, when he spoke a very faint line that she was only able to catch a few words from. Something along the lines of how he wasn’t who she thought he was, perhaps?

Instantly, she would frown and took another step closer, afraid of driving him away again if she were to move too fast. She had never seen him resemble a frightened cat so much in her entire existence as Ladybug and honestly…she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred the happy-go-lucky Chat Noir, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Hey, hey,” She’d say, trying to sound as comforting as possible, as she took another daring step closer to him and knelt down by his side, “Relax. I think you’re just stressed with all this ‘saving the world’ mumbo jumbo. Plus, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with in your other life, am I right?”

Ladybug had assumed that maybe he was just having a mental breakdown- a norm for a young superhero like himself. So, maybe…maybe she can coax him out of this fit? 

Hopefully, would be more of the right term.

Placing a reassuring palm upon his shoulder, Ladybug would tilt her head so that he would be forced to look at her straight on. And because of the new view, she was able to take a glance at him herself, to ensure that he was alright. She took in his familiar black mask, before she noticed all of the other oddities. Everything seemed to be well enough. But when she saw the actual length of his hair , then the actual shaping of his jaw-line and then…his eyes…

Ladybug would let out an astonished gasp, flinging herself away from him and immediately went to the bag around her hip to draw out her yo-yo. 

“Chat- Chat Noir?” She’d ask in disbelief, “Stay back! What did you do to him?!” 

She knew her Chat. And this person was definitely not him, despite the painstaking similarities. That would explain it then! So, was Hawk Moth behind all of this?

Ladybug groaned internally. Perfect. Just when she was about to transform back into Marinette too.

He stood slowly, deliberately, determination in his every movement. He straightened his back, but kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders were certainly broader than those of her Chat Noir, and he seemed a bit more toned, as though he might have been a slight bit older. He turned away from her, showing his back, despite the fact that she was ready to strike.

“…I am Chat Noir.” he stated, voice quivering a bit as he tried to contain the pain he felt from her sudden recoil. 

“Just..” he relaxed a bit, turning to face her, those bright  crystal blue eyes visible in the reflecting moonlight, the green lenses doing little to hide neither their natural shade, nor the pain he hid behind them as he put on a weak smile.

“…Just…not your Chat Noir…I..I’m sorry.” He turned away from her, and dove off the building and into the shadows, taking off as fast as his feet would carry him, ignoring Plagg’s constant pulsing, as though he were trying to keep him from fleeing into the night. 

This was why he’d avoided contact, surely they’d never understand…right? If anything, he probably seemed like just another foolish villain trying to trick her, or something of that nature. He wouldn’t expect her to understand, after all, she had her life here, she had her Chat Noir, he wasn’t about to have her worry over him when she had other things to occupy her mind. These were the lies he told himself as he ran. If it had not been for Plagg, he assumed the Papillon of this world would’ve claimed his mind a long time ago…

‘…Not your Chat Noir…’

She wouldn’t have believed him either, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just looked into those…those blue orbs just moments ago. 

And yet still- his words seemed to rush through her like a wave and although she understood what he meant- she also didn’t at the same time. 

Not her Chat Noir, but he was a Chat Noir? How many of him were there?! But once again, before Ladybug could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the…the other Chat had already bolted away while she had been distracted.

Her blue eyes followed the boy’s dark shadow as it seemingly floated through the night, leaping off various buildings in the process. At that very moment, she had it in mind to just let him go. If he hadn’t been her’s, then there was really no point in her fussing over all of this, right? 

But then again…ugh. 

So many things could go wrong, if she just let this slide. What if he was one of Hawk Moth’s new puppets? Or worse- What if Chat Noir had been brainwashed and somehow been altered physically, as well and…

Right then and there, Ladybug would make up her mind. Wasting no time, she would then dart quickly off the side of the building and dash the short few yards it took for her to get back to her house. Upon arrival, Ladybug would toss her yo-yo around the bars of her bedroom balcony and hoist herself up in one smooth leap, landing on the platform a few seconds after.

“Alright, change back,” She’d say aloud, as Tikki began to de-transform her before she had even gotten all of her words out, “I’m going to need to go back out there.”

As Marinette, the girl would then bolt downstairs to the bakery, making sure to stay as silent as possible to keep from waking up her parents. Her Kwami- although a bit lethargic- would float swiftly behind her.

“Marinette, I don’t think you should follow him! He said it himself, he wasn’t our Chat!” Tikki would say, landing tiredly on the girl’s shoulder, “And I can’t transform any-”

“Here,” Marinette interjected, handing the Kwami the cookie she had just swiped from one of the bakery trays, before stuffing her own bag with another handful for extra precaution, “And we have to go after him, Tikki. Either way, we have to find out what’s going on.”

With that said, Marinette watched as her Kwami nodded- albeit a bit reluctantly-and unable to speak due to the fact that it was stuffing its mouth with the cookie it had just been given. 

“You ready?” She asked after a good minute, already having ran back upstairs to her bedroom, “Then ‘Spots On, Tikki.’”

—-

The transformation- although pretty much the same as all the other times- took a bit too long for her liking in that very moment. She was in a hurry, for crying out loud and if there had been any time in her life where she wished she was permanently Ladybug- then this would’ve been one of them.

She was currently flying from building to building, flashing out her yo-yo every so often when she needed to change her direction. In her mind, Paris couldn’t have been that big, as to where, Chat Noir would never be found by her again that night. So, with that optimistic thought in mind, Ladybug would continue her search.

Her blue eyes would continue to dart around her, as she leaped, the air billowing against her tied hair. As much as she hated to say it- it was actually nice to do something so freely for once, while in uniform. 

But before she could relish too much in that fact, she knew that she had to find Chat Noir first. 

Thankfully, after a moment, a familiar shadow would be spotted moving fluidly with the dark of the night. Ladybug paused in her trek, dangling by the ends of her yo-yo, as she watched the other boy.

Should she just…yell his name?

Ugh. No, that probably wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, Ladybug would whip out her yo-yo to change her course once again, before heaving herself onto the next building he was going to leap onto. 

“Stop running!” She called out, pulling her weapon back to her side, before making the split second decision to direct it towards him. If he hadn’t been able to maneuver away from it in time, Ladybug would make sure to wrap her yo-yo around the boy’s body to keep him from bolting from her again.

Not until she got what she needed, at least. 

With a twitch of the ears and a flick of the tail, Chat noir almost seemed to fade back beyond the reach of her Yo yo. Moving so quickly that the most visible part of him then had been his eyes as they reflected the moonlight. He’d reached up, letting the taut wire of the Yo-yo wrap around his forearm, rather than his body. Standing there, broad shouldered and grim, he half-faced her, his body poised as if to say ‘I can leave when I want, and you won’t stop me.’

“..Ladybug.” He said, his tone a bit pained at the word. “…You have to forget me, you have to go back, be who you are, be the hero you’ve always been. I don’t belong here, and you should have nothing to do with me…” he added, looking away, his wrapped up arm still held up at eye level.

“I told you, I’m not your Chat Noir. That’s all you need to know…please, just let me leave. You won’t see me again.” 

Of course, it was a bit much for him to assume she’d just let him waltz off…but he really didn’t want to fight her. Even if she wasn’t the girl he’d fallen in love with. She seemed so much like her..that it was almost too much for him to bear.

Ladybug didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.

She had followed the yo-yo with her eyes, assuming that it would secure itself around Chat Noir’s body, like it normally does, but would eventually be proven wrong by what he did next. By turning his body a certain way, this Chat had managed to only get his arm caught up in its strings, causing for one particular super-heroine’s jaw to fall open. 

Just like that, Ladybug would feel her cheeks turn just as red as her uniform. 

Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to be so…so nimble, as this one was! Chat- Her Chat- wouldn’t even run away from her and be as cryptic as this! And because of the obvious differences that she now had just processed, Ladybug would mentally scold herself for not having noticed it in the first place. 

She was an idiot. Would Chat have known it wasn’t her if their situation had been switched?

Probably.

Which, of course, did not make her feel any better about this whole ordeal.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she would then fold an arm across her stomach, before bringing her free hand up to rub at her temple. The words that were coming out of his mouth had been made to seem so simple. But how, exactly, could she just…leave him be? Yes, he wasn’t her Chat Noir, but he was still….Chat Noir.

Ugh, she was starting to get a headache from all of this.

Ladybug- after having recollected herself enough- would draw in a long breath and return her gaze back towards the other boy. The dim light of the moon would cause for the look on her face to seem that much more eerie, though the sound of her voice would make her seem younger- smaller, even.

“You can’t leave. Not yet,” She’d say softly. Despite her words, she would extend a hand out to retract her yo-yo back to her, leaving his arm free from its reins. 

“Just…just tell me who you are. If you’re not my Chat, then…what did you do to him?” 

If this person did something that would lead to her not seeing Chat again, then…honestly, Ladybug wouldn’t know what to do with herself. 

They were a team. A great team, at that. 

She would be nothing without his bad luck to balance her’s out. 

And…and she needed his puns to keep her sane during their missions.

“I’m no one, just a stray.” He commented as he turned his back to her.”I didn’t do anything to him. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. But he’s fine. He doesn’t even know about me…but if he’s anything like me…well, he’s probably at home thinking about you.” He commented, “After all, he is head over heels for you.” He said, feigning cheer in his voice as he dropped into the alley below, hoping that the comment would more than suffice in keeping her c confused long enough for him to make a third attempt at a getaway.

Meanwhile on the other side of the river, across from the Fontain du Palmier, sat a rather large and wealthy looking mansion..and in one of those rooms, sat a boy at his computer, looking over a certain rather popular blog, about a certain heroine.

And then he sneezed rather loudly, slid back on his rolling chair, fell over, rolled backwards twice and smacked into the wall of his bedroom. 

“O-ow.” Adrien grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. 

A friendly little Kwami floated by, laughing as he scarfed down some Camembert. “Geez~ Someone must really be  makin’ fun of you out there~! ha!.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “That or I’m developing an allergy to your cheese habits.” he replied with a grin. “Might have to cut down on your supply, don’t you think Plagg? Wouldn’t want me getting sick right?” He replied with a tease as he got up and headed for his desk once more.

“W-what? Don’t even joke about that! You’re kidding right?…Adrien?…You’re just messing with me..right?”

…

A stray.

A stray, huh?

One that just happened to have the same uniform as Paris’ feline hero? She didn’t think so. However, she refrained from saying anything about it, until he was done speaking. 

Ladybug kept her gaze on him, even as he turned his back to her. She listened to his every word, waiting to hear the answer that she had been hoping for and when it came- she couldn’t help the subtle sigh of relief that had escaped from her lips. 

Her Chat Noir was safe and from what she had just been informed- he also had no idea of what was currently happening under the moonlight. She was about to move forward again, in hopes of maybe coaxing him into letting her help, if he really was a…well, a stray, when he what he said next stopped her in her tracks. Ladybug blinked, hearing a little chime coming from her earring, as Tikki reacted to the boy’s words, as well. 

Chat Noir was just an overall flirt. Nothing more to it than that, right? But even though that was what she kept telling herself whenever he presented her with a flower or a compliment of sorts- Ladybug still felt as though she had just swallowed glue when she heard her suspicions being voiced by a complete stranger.

Well, almost a complete stranger.

She was about to inquire more on the topic, but would only manage a, “W-wait!” once she saw the other boy take a step and descended swiftly into the alley below. 

And then- just like the shadows- he was one with the darkness.

—————————————————– 

The following morning came in a blur for one particular girl, who just couldn’t seem to keep herself awake in class.

Twice did the teacher have to stop her lecture in order to get Marinette’s attention, albeit in an embarrassing way both times. And yet despite telling herself to not close her eyes again, she would still somehow manage to fall asleep, only to be jolted awake by Ayla from beside her.

“Long night?” Her best friend would ask in a hushed tone, to which she would simply nod back in response.

‘Long night’ was more or less an understatement. 

After having gone back to her room with more questions than answers, Ladybug would shift back into Marinette, only to go to bed staring at the ceiling for the remainder of the night.

Her body knew that she needed to rest, but she, herself, didn’t want to go to sleep, per se.

In fact, she actually wanted the complete opposite. She was sort of hoping for a little akuma drama to pop up, just so she could see Chat Noir and to reassure herself that he was alright and that he was still his happy-go-lucky self.

Whoever that person was last night was probably long gone by now. 

Or she’d hoped.

If this stray appeared again, Ladybug probably wouldn’t  know where to even begin with dealing with him- let alone Marinette. 

As the class day ended, Adrien found himself standing up and stretching out wide. The day’s lecture had been long, and relatively boring. He blinked when he heard a bit of snoring behind him, turning only to find Marinette fast asleep for the third or fourth time that day, with Alya looking more than out of her element in trying to wake the girl up.

He walked up the step and shot Alya a questioning look, which received nothing more than a shrug and a motion for him to try waking her up.

“Marinette? Hey-um, class is over you know. Gotta get up now.” he said with a bit of a smile, lightly tapping the girl’s shoulder. Not noticing the gleeful smirk on Alya’s face, clearly, the girl was simply waiting for Marinette’s reaction upon seeing Adrien so surprisingly close.

Marinette could have sworn she had been wide awake when the instructor left the room, followed by a few other students who had been waiting to go home.

In fact, she was so certain that she had her eyes opened the entire time, that she would even begin to turn towards Alya, asking where she’d want to go for lunch that day.

But then, of course, came the sudden look on her best friend’s face, turning from amusement to confusion, before ultimately her head would be switched out with Chat Noir’s from the night before and then to Adrien’s gorgeous features. 

‘Gotta get up now.’

And it was, indeed.

In reaction to the odd dream, Marinette would shot up from where she had her head rested on the desk, smacking her knee hard against the bottom of the wooden frame. She instantly let out a pained yelp, grasping at the newly bruised area with her hands, before scowling upward to see the familiar faces of both Alya and…Adrien.

Oh God.

A started look would cross the girl’s face, as she stood up from her seat and tried to play off that everything was completely fine.

That is, until Alya quickly moved to stand behind Adrien and gestured wildly with a hand for Marinette to wipe her cheek. Frowning in a confused manner, Marinette would do exactly that, until the back of her hand came back a bit damp from the slight drool stain she had received from having slept on her desk.

Fantastic.

“O-Oh,” She’d say, laughing sheepishly, as she clasped her hands behind her back, “Is it that time already?”

Cue another awkward laugh and a pitiful look from Alya, who would pretend to have been staring at a rather interesting stain on the wall when Marinette shot her a look. 

He let out a soft laugh. Smiling as he headed for the door. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it, everyone has rough nights right? Its not so bad. Besides, no one even noticed.” he replied with a playful wink in her direction as he headed out.  He could feel some shifting in his messenger bag, which meant Plagg was getting feisty for cheese, which of course meant he had to get the heck out of there quick. Before the little goofball got loose anyway.

He was in the back of his car before the duo of Marinette and Alya had made it out of the building. He’d reprimanded Plagg before getting in too, though he promised a good deal of Camembert when they got home…that is, until he saw something that left him shocked, confused, and entirely lost. See, right across the way…Chat Noir was running away from a street vendor with a bag on his shoulder.

“I…wait…what?” he said as he practically pressed his face to the car window, watching the figure flee.

That day, Felix had managed to ‘snag’ a few of the essentials, a water bottle, some and currently?…a sandwich off a street-side vendor’s cart..all tough this time, he might not have been lucky…but then, when was he? He dashed past the cart sandwich in hand.

“HEY, YOU! STOP!” the owner called out to him as Felix ran past, not noticing that he’d forgotten to get out of costume, so here he was, in full Chat Noir attire as he made his way past a nearby school…He needed to get out of sight, quickly. How often had he stolen things now?..well..he needed them…he carried a bag on his back with some of the things he’d…collected, and he was making his way toward the bridge as quick as possible..whilst a siren was heard in the distance.

‘No, Nonono, can’t get caught..who knows how much damage it’ll do to his reputation…’ He thought as he ran.

“What was that?”

Marinette was still frozen in her spot, waving mindlessly, as she watched the love of her life walk away from her. She didn’t even process anything else that was happening and honestly, all that was going through her mind was, ‘Tuez-moi s'il vous plaît. (Kill me please).’  She had never wanted to hide under a rock so badly in her entire existence.

“Marinette!” The sound of her best friend’s voice would call out again from beside her, before she would see a tanned hand being waved in front of her face, “Don’t tell me you fell asleep standing up.” 

At that comment, Marinette would turn her head around and set her face into a firm scowl. She did not need to be reminded about what had happened five minutes prior and thankfully- Alya seemed to get the hint and would offer a sympathetic smile instead of her usual teasing remark.

“Oh, relax,” The blogger would say, grabbing her best friend’s bag for her, before Marinette took it from her grasp, “I bet he thought it was adorable.”

Hah. If only...

She knew it was far from the truth, but wouldn’t voice it aloud, because it was really nice of Alya to try and cheer her up whenever she had these moments. These...these embarrassing moments, to be more precise. 

And honestly, she couldn’t have asked for a better wing-woman.

As the two walked out of the building, trying to turn the conversation towards a different topic- Marinette couldn’t help but think about what that other Chat Noir had told her the previous night. 

Chat- her Chat- was head over heels...for her? Her. The one who literally just drooled in front of the boy she had been crushing on for ages now. 

It was a bit hard to believe.

Well, to be fair, it was Ladybug he had been referring to, so...

Before she could even begin to  over-think again, the sudden sight of the devil himself would emerge from across the street, as another voice bellowed angrily  from behind it.

“HEY, YOU! STOP!” The vendor would say, throwing a towel of sorts in the shadow’s direction, as Marinette’s gaze immediately tried to focus on it.

It was fast. Very fast.

But nonetheless, she still knew who it was.

“Er- I forgot something inside, don’t wait up for me!” Marinette would stammer out quickly, before rushing back inside and ignoring her friend’s confused ‘wait!’

Once she was within the privacy of the now-empty classroom, she would open up her bag to let out the Kwami, who looked as though it had been expecting her to do so.

“Tikki,” was all Marinette needed to say, before the Kwami would nod and float above her head, “Spots on!” 

The transformation came and went and once the red-and-black swirls dispersed- Ladybug would be left where Marinette had been standing. Wasting no time, the superheroine would bolt out of the school’s back entrance and pull out her yo-yo, swinging it outward, in order to maneuver herself towards the direction where the Chat Noir was headed. 

OK I said I would give only one preview but you know this is the finished version of the first preview… do you know what i mean

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual. 

As she stepped on his tail, he slipped again, face planting once more, albeit not so roughly this time. He managed to catch himself before too much damage was done, and instead shifted to rest on his knees, his ears twitched a bit, his head tilted down so his hair cast a shadow over his face. “L-Ladybug..” he began, unsure of how to even start explaining himself.”I-..” he gulped, turning his head a bit, he could see her, but for the most part, his face was still cast in shadow.

“I-I’m not..who you think I am..” he said, his voice failing him on those last few words, making them a little too faint to be properly understood. Meanwhile, from within the ring on his hand, a soft pulse of energy reminded him that he shouldn’t be interacting with her…he ignored it. Of course he knew better, of course he knew it would only cause trouble for her, he didn’t need Plagg to remind him of that. Though…he left that world to protect his Ladybug…and he wasn’t even sure if it had worked…

He simply couldn’t turn away when she asked him something so directly..even if she wasn’t his Ladybug.

There was only so much she could do as a superhero and apparently, being able to comfort her own partner was not one of them.

The sight of him just on his knees would cause for her to feel some form of guilt for having stepped on his tail in the first place, but of course, she didn’t regret it. She knew that if she hadn’t, then he would be long gone by now, running towards who-knows-where, while she was left with more questions than answers. 

And as she watched him, Ladybug couldn’t help but scour her eyes over his strangely different form. It literally had only been half an hour since she had last seen him and he was in his usual, pun-tastic mood, at that. What…what even happened after they had defeated the akuma villain and parted ways?

Having been lost in her thoughts, Ladybug would only snap her attention back to the boy in front of her, when he spoke a very faint line that she was only able to catch a few words from. Something along the lines of how he wasn’t who she thought he was, perhaps?

Instantly, she would frown and took another step closer, afraid of driving him away again if she were to move too fast. She had never seen him resemble a frightened cat so much in her entire existence as Ladybug and honestly…she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred the happy-go-lucky Chat Noir, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Hey, hey,” She’d say, trying to sound as comforting as possible, as she took another daring step closer to him and knelt down by his side, “Relax. I think you’re just stressed with all this ‘saving the world’ mumbo jumbo. Plus, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with in your other life, am I right?”

Ladybug had assumed that maybe he was just having a mental breakdown- a norm for a young superhero like himself. So, maybe…maybe she can coax him out of this fit? 

Hopefully, would be more of the right term.

Placing a reassuring palm upon his shoulder, Ladybug would tilt her head so that he would be forced to look at her straight on. And because of the new view, she was able to take a glance at him herself, to ensure that he was alright. She took in his familiar black mask, before she noticed all of the other oddities. Everything seemed to be well enough. But when she saw the actual length of his hair , then the actual shaping of his jaw-line and then…his eyes…

Ladybug would let out an astonished gasp, flinging herself away from him and immediately went to the bag around her hip to draw out her yo-yo. 

“Chat- Chat Noir?” She’d ask in disbelief, “Stay back! What did you do to him?!” 

She knew her Chat. And this person was definitely not him, despite the painstaking similarities. That would explain it then! So, was Hawk Moth behind all of this?

Ladybug groaned internally. Perfect. Just when she was about to transform back into Marinette too.

He stood slowly, deliberately, determination in his every movement. He straightened his back, but kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders were certainly broader than those of her Chat Noir, and he seemed a bit more toned, as though he might have been a slight bit older. He turned away from her, showing his back, despite the fact that she was ready to strike.

“…I am Chat Noir.” he stated, voice quivering a bit as he tried to contain the pain he felt from her sudden recoil. 

“Just..” he relaxed a bit, turning to face her, those bright  crystal blue eyes visible in the reflecting moonlight, the green lenses doing little to hide neither their natural shade, nor the pain he hid behind them as he put on a weak smile.

“…Just…not your Chat Noir…I..I’m sorry.” He turned away from her, and dove off the building and into the shadows, taking off as fast as his feet would carry him, ignoring Plagg’s constant pulsing, as though he were trying to keep him from fleeing into the night. 

This was why he’d avoided contact, surely they’d never understand…right? If anything, he probably seemed like just another foolish villain trying to trick her, or something of that nature. He wouldn’t expect her to understand, after all, she had her life here, she had her Chat Noir, he wasn’t about to have her worry over him when she had other things to occupy her mind. These were the lies he told himself as he ran. If it had not been for Plagg, he assumed the Papillon of this world would’ve claimed his mind a long time ago…

‘…Not your Chat Noir…’

She wouldn’t have believed him either, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just looked into those…those blue orbs just moments ago. 

And yet still- his words seemed to rush through her like a wave and although she understood what he meant- she also didn’t at the same time. 

Not her Chat Noir, but he was a Chat Noir? How many of him were there?! But once again, before Ladybug could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the…the other Chat had already bolted away while she had been distracted.

Her blue eyes followed the boy’s dark shadow as it seemingly floated through the night, leaping off various buildings in the process. At that very moment, she had it in mind to just let him go. If he hadn’t been her’s, then there was really no point in her fussing over all of this, right? 

But then again…ugh. 

So many things could go wrong, if she just let this slide. What if he was one of Hawk Moth’s new puppets? Or worse- What if Chat Noir had been brainwashed and somehow been altered physically, as well and…

Right then and there, Ladybug would make up her mind. Wasting no time, she would then dart quickly off the side of the building and dash the short few yards it took for her to get back to her house. Upon arrival, Ladybug would toss her yo-yo around the bars of her bedroom balcony and hoist herself up in one smooth leap, landing on the platform a few seconds after.

“Alright, change back,” She’d say aloud, as Tikki began to de-transform her before she had even gotten all of her words out, “I’m going to need to go back out there.”

As Marinette, the girl would then bolt downstairs to the bakery, making sure to stay as silent as possible to keep from waking up her parents. Her Kwami- although a bit lethargic- would float swiftly behind her.

“Marinette, I don’t think you should follow him! He said it himself, he wasn’t our Chat!” Tikki would say, landing tiredly on the girl’s shoulder, “And I can’t transform any-”

“Here,” Marinette interjected, handing the Kwami the cookie she had just swiped from one of the bakery trays, before stuffing her own bag with another handful for extra precaution, “And we have to go after him, Tikki. Either way, we have to find out what’s going on.”

With that said, Marinette watched as her Kwami nodded- albeit a bit reluctantly-and unable to speak due to the fact that it was stuffing its mouth with the cookie it had just been given. 

“You ready?” She asked after a good minute, already having ran back upstairs to her bedroom, “Then ‘Spots On, Tikki.’”

—-

The transformation- although pretty much the same as all the other times- took a bit too long for her liking in that very moment. She was in a hurry, for crying out loud and if there had been any time in her life where she wished she was permanently Ladybug- then this would’ve been one of them.

She was currently flying from building to building, flashing out her yo-yo every so often when she needed to change her direction. In her mind, Paris couldn’t have been that big, as to where, Chat Noir would never be found by her again that night. So, with that optimistic thought in mind, Ladybug would continue her search.

Her blue eyes would continue to dart around her, as she leaped, the air billowing against her tied hair. As much as she hated to say it- it was actually nice to do something so freely for once, while in uniform. 

But before she could relish too much in that fact, she knew that she had to find Chat Noir first. 

Thankfully, after a moment, a familiar shadow would be spotted moving fluidly with the dark of the night. Ladybug paused in her trek, dangling by the ends of her yo-yo, as she watched the other boy.

Should she just…yell his name?

Ugh. No, that probably wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, Ladybug would whip out her yo-yo to change her course once again, before heaving herself onto the next building he was going to leap onto. 

“Stop running!” She called out, pulling her weapon back to her side, before making the split second decision to direct it towards him. If he hadn’t been able to maneuver away from it in time, Ladybug would make sure to wrap her yo-yo around the boy’s body to keep him from bolting from her again.

Not until she got what she needed, at least. 

With a twitch of the ears and a flick of the tail, Chat noir almost seemed to fade back beyond the reach of her Yo yo. Moving so quickly that the most visible part of him then had been his eyes as they reflected the moonlight. He’d reached up, letting the taut wire of the Yo-yo wrap around his forearm, rather than his body. Standing there, broad shouldered and grim, he half-faced her, his body poised as if to say ‘I can leave when I want, and you won’t stop me.’

“..Ladybug.” He said, his tone a bit pained at the word. “…You have to forget me, you have to go back, be who you are, be the hero you’ve always been. I don’t belong here, and you should have nothing to do with me…” he added, looking away, his wrapped up arm still held up at eye level.

“I told you, I’m not your Chat Noir. That’s all you need to know…please, just let me leave. You won’t see me again.” 

Of course, it was a bit much for him to assume she’d just let him waltz off…but he really didn’t want to fight her. Even if she wasn’t the girl he’d fallen in love with. She seemed so much like her..that it was almost too much for him to bear.

Ladybug didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.

She had followed the yo-yo with her eyes, assuming that it would secure itself around Chat Noir’s body, like it normally does, but would eventually be proven wrong by what he did next. By turning his body a certain way, this Chat had managed to only get his arm caught up in its strings, causing for one particular super-heroine’s jaw to fall open. 

Just like that, Ladybug would feel her cheeks turn just as red as her uniform. 

Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to be so…so nimble, as this one was! Chat- Her Chat- wouldn’t even run away from her and be as cryptic as this! And because of the obvious differences that she now had just processed, Ladybug would mentally scold herself for not having noticed it in the first place. 

She was an idiot. Would Chat have known it wasn’t her if their situation had been switched?

Probably.

Which, of course, did not make her feel any better about this whole ordeal.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she would then fold an arm across her stomach, before bringing her free hand up to rub at her temple. The words that were coming out of his mouth had been made to seem so simple. But how, exactly, could she just…leave him be? Yes, he wasn’t her Chat Noir, but he was still….Chat Noir.

Ugh, she was starting to get a headache from all of this.

Ladybug- after having recollected herself enough- would draw in a long breath and return her gaze back towards the other boy. The dim light of the moon would cause for the look on her face to seem that much more eerie, though the sound of her voice would make her seem younger- smaller, even.

“You can’t leave. Not yet,” She’d say softly. Despite her words, she would extend a hand out to retract her yo-yo back to her, leaving his arm free from its reins. 

“Just…just tell me who you are. If you’re not my Chat, then…what did you do to him?” 

If this person did something that would lead to her not seeing Chat again, then…honestly, Ladybug wouldn’t know what to do with herself. 

They were a team. A great team, at that. 

She would be nothing without his bad luck to balance her’s out. 

And…and she needed his puns to keep her sane during their missions.

“I’m no one, just a stray.” He commented as he turned his back to her.”I didn’t do anything to him. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. But he’s fine. He doesn’t even know about me…but if he’s anything like me…well, he’s probably at home thinking about you.” He commented, “After all, he is head over heels for you.” He said, feigning cheer in his voice as he dropped into the alley below, hoping that the comment would more than suffice in keeping her c confused long enough for him to make a third attempt at a getaway.

Meanwhile on the other side of the river, across from the Fontain du Palmier, sat a rather large and wealthy looking mansion..and in one of those rooms, sat a boy at his computer, looking over a certain rather popular blog, about a certain heroine.

And then he sneezed rather loudly, slid back on his rolling chair, fell over, rolled backwards twice and smacked into the wall of his bedroom. 

“O-ow.” Adrien grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. 

A friendly little Kwami floated by, laughing as he scarfed down some Camembert. “Geez~ Someone must really be  makin’ fun of you out there~! ha!.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “That or I’m developing an allergy to your cheese habits.” he replied with a grin. “Might have to cut down on your supply, don’t you think Plagg? Wouldn’t want me getting sick right?” He replied with a tease as he got up and headed for his desk once more.

“W-what? Don’t even joke about that! You’re kidding right?…Adrien?…You’re just messing with me..right?”

…

A stray.

A stray, huh?

One that just happened to have the same uniform as Paris’ feline hero? She didn’t think so. However, she refrained from saying anything about it, until he was done speaking. 

Ladybug kept her gaze on him, even as he turned his back to her. She listened to his every word, waiting to hear the answer that she had been hoping for and when it came- she couldn’t help the subtle sigh of relief that had escaped from her lips. 

Her Chat Noir was safe and from what she had just been informed- he also had no idea of what was currently happening under the moonlight. She was about to move forward again, in hopes of maybe coaxing him into letting her help, if he really was a…well, a stray, when he what he said next stopped her in her tracks. Ladybug blinked, hearing a little chime coming from her earring, as Tikki reacted to the boy’s words, as well. 

Chat Noir was just an overall flirt. Nothing more to it than that, right? But even though that was what she kept telling herself whenever he presented her with a flower or a compliment of sorts- Ladybug still felt as though she had just swallowed glue when she heard her suspicions being voiced by a complete stranger.

Well, almost a complete stranger.

She was about to inquire more on the topic, but would only manage a, “W-wait!” once she saw the other boy take a step and descended swiftly into the alley below. 

And then- just like the shadows- he was one with the darkness.

—————————————————– 

The following morning came in a blur for one particular girl, who just couldn’t seem to keep herself awake in class.

Twice did the teacher have to stop her lecture in order to get Marinette’s attention, albeit in an embarrassing way both times. And yet despite telling herself to not close her eyes again, she would still somehow manage to fall asleep, only to be jolted awake by Ayla from beside her.

“Long night?” Her best friend would ask in a hushed tone, to which she would simply nod back in response.

‘Long night’ was more or less an understatement. 

After having gone back to her room with more questions than answers, Ladybug would shift back into Marinette, only to go to bed staring at the ceiling for the remainder of the night.

Her body knew that she needed to rest, but she, herself, didn’t want to go to sleep, per se.

In fact, she actually wanted the complete opposite. She was sort of hoping for a little akuma drama to pop up, just so she could see Chat Noir and to reassure herself that he was alright and that he was still his happy-go-lucky self.

Whoever that person was last night was probably long gone by now. 

Or she’d hoped.

If this stray appeared again, Ladybug probably wouldn’t  know where to even begin with dealing with him- let alone Marinette. 

As the class day ended, Adrien found himself standing up and stretching out wide. The day’s lecture had been long, and relatively boring. He blinked when he heard a bit of snoring behind him, turning only to find Marinette fast asleep for the third or fourth time that day, with Alya looking more than out of her element in trying to wake the girl up.

He walked up the step and shot Alya a questioning look, which received nothing more than a shrug and a motion for him to try waking her up.

“Marinette? Hey-um, class is over you know. Gotta get up now.” he said with a bit of a smile, lightly tapping the girl’s shoulder. Not noticing the gleeful smirk on Alya’s face, clearly, the girl was simply waiting for Marinette’s reaction upon seeing Adrien so surprisingly close.

Marinette could have sworn she had been wide awake when the instructor left the room, followed by a few other students who had been waiting to go home.

In fact, she was so certain that she had her eyes opened the entire time, that she would even begin to turn towards Alya, asking where she’d want to go for lunch that day.

But then, of course, came the sudden look on her best friend’s face, turning from amusement to confusion, before ultimately her head would be switched out with Chat Noir’s from the night before and then to Adrien’s gorgeous features. 

‘Gotta get up now.’

And it was, indeed.

In reaction to the odd dream, Marinette would shot up from where she had her head rested on the desk, smacking her knee hard against the bottom of the wooden frame. She instantly let out a pained yelp, grasping at the newly bruised area with her hands, before scowling upward to see the familiar faces of both Alya and...Adrien.

Oh God.

A started look would cross the girl’s face, as she stood up from her seat and tried to play off that everything was completely fine.

That is, until Alya quickly moved to stand behind Adrien and gestured wildly with a hand for Marinette to wipe her cheek. Frowning in a confused manner, Marinette would do exactly that, until the back of her hand came back a bit damp from the slight drool stain she had received from having slept on her desk.

Fantastic.

“O-Oh,” She’d say, laughing sheepishly, as she clasped her hands behind her back, “Is it that time already?”

Cue another awkward laugh and a pitiful look from Alya, who would pretend to have been staring at a rather interesting stain on the wall when Marinette shot her a look. 

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual. 

As she stepped on his tail, he slipped again, face planting once more, albeit not so roughly this time. He managed to catch himself before too much damage was done, and instead shifted to rest on his knees, his ears twitched a bit, his head tilted down so his hair cast a shadow over his face. “L-Ladybug..” he began, unsure of how to even start explaining himself.”I-..” he gulped, turning his head a bit, he could see her, but for the most part, his face was still cast in shadow.

“I-I’m not..who you think I am..” he said, his voice failing him on those last few words, making them a little too faint to be properly understood. Meanwhile, from within the ring on his hand, a soft pulse of energy reminded him that he shouldn’t be interacting with her…he ignored it. Of course he knew better, of course he knew it would only cause trouble for her, he didn’t need Plagg to remind him of that. Though…he left that world to protect his Ladybug…and he wasn’t even sure if it had worked…

He simply couldn’t turn away when she asked him something so directly..even if she wasn’t his Ladybug.

There was only so much she could do as a superhero and apparently, being able to comfort her own partner was not one of them.

The sight of him just on his knees would cause for her to feel some form of guilt for having stepped on his tail in the first place, but of course, she didn’t regret it. She knew that if she hadn’t, then he would be long gone by now, running towards who-knows-where, while she was left with more questions than answers. 

And as she watched him, Ladybug couldn’t help but scour her eyes over his strangely different form. It literally had only been half an hour since she had last seen him and he was in his usual, pun-tastic mood, at that. What…what even happened after they had defeated the akuma villain and parted ways?

Having been lost in her thoughts, Ladybug would only snap her attention back to the boy in front of her, when he spoke a very faint line that she was only able to catch a few words from. Something along the lines of how he wasn’t who she thought he was, perhaps?

Instantly, she would frown and took another step closer, afraid of driving him away again if she were to move too fast. She had never seen him resemble a frightened cat so much in her entire existence as Ladybug and honestly…she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred the happy-go-lucky Chat Noir, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Hey, hey,” She’d say, trying to sound as comforting as possible, as she took another daring step closer to him and knelt down by his side, “Relax. I think you’re just stressed with all this ‘saving the world’ mumbo jumbo. Plus, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with in your other life, am I right?”

Ladybug had assumed that maybe he was just having a mental breakdown- a norm for a young superhero like himself. So, maybe…maybe she can coax him out of this fit? 

Hopefully, would be more of the right term.

Placing a reassuring palm upon his shoulder, Ladybug would tilt her head so that he would be forced to look at her straight on. And because of the new view, she was able to take a glance at him herself, to ensure that he was alright. She took in his familiar black mask, before she noticed all of the other oddities. Everything seemed to be well enough. But when she saw the actual length of his hair , then the actual shaping of his jaw-line and then…his eyes…

Ladybug would let out an astonished gasp, flinging herself away from him and immediately went to the bag around her hip to draw out her yo-yo. 

“Chat- Chat Noir?” She’d ask in disbelief, “Stay back! What did you do to him?!” 

She knew her Chat. And this person was definitely not him, despite the painstaking similarities. That would explain it then! So, was Hawk Moth behind all of this?

Ladybug groaned internally. Perfect. Just when she was about to transform back into Marinette too.

He stood slowly, deliberately, determination in his every movement. He straightened his back, but kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders were certainly broader than those of her Chat Noir, and he seemed a bit more toned, as though he might have been a slight bit older. He turned away from her, showing his back, despite the fact that she was ready to strike.

“…I am Chat Noir.” he stated, voice quivering a bit as he tried to contain the pain he felt from her sudden recoil. 

“Just..” he relaxed a bit, turning to face her, those bright  crystal blue eyes visible in the reflecting moonlight, the green lenses doing little to hide neither their natural shade, nor the pain he hid behind them as he put on a weak smile.

“…Just…not your Chat Noir…I..I’m sorry.” He turned away from her, and dove off the building and into the shadows, taking off as fast as his feet would carry him, ignoring Plagg’s constant pulsing, as though he were trying to keep him from fleeing into the night. 

This was why he’d avoided contact, surely they’d never understand…right? If anything, he probably seemed like just another foolish villain trying to trick her, or something of that nature. He wouldn’t expect her to understand, after all, she had her life here, she had her Chat Noir, he wasn’t about to have her worry over him when she had other things to occupy her mind. These were the lies he told himself as he ran. If it had not been for Plagg, he assumed the Papillon of this world would’ve claimed his mind a long time ago…

‘…Not your Chat Noir…’

She wouldn’t have believed him either, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just looked into those…those blue orbs just moments ago. 

And yet still- his words seemed to rush through her like a wave and although she understood what he meant- she also didn’t at the same time. 

Not her Chat Noir, but he was a Chat Noir? How many of him were there?! But once again, before Ladybug could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the…the other Chat had already bolted away while she had been distracted.

Her blue eyes followed the boy’s dark shadow as it seemingly floated through the night, leaping off various buildings in the process. At that very moment, she had it in mind to just let him go. If he hadn’t been her’s, then there was really no point in her fussing over all of this, right? 

But then again…ugh. 

So many things could go wrong, if she just let this slide. What if he was one of Hawk Moth’s new puppets? Or worse- What if Chat Noir had been brainwashed and somehow been altered physically, as well and…

Right then and there, Ladybug would make up her mind. Wasting no time, she would then dart quickly off the side of the building and dash the short few yards it took for her to get back to her house. Upon arrival, Ladybug would toss her yo-yo around the bars of her bedroom balcony and hoist herself up in one smooth leap, landing on the platform a few seconds after.

“Alright, change back,” She’d say aloud, as Tikki began to de-transform her before she had even gotten all of her words out, “I’m going to need to go back out there.”

As Marinette, the girl would then bolt downstairs to the bakery, making sure to stay as silent as possible to keep from waking up her parents. Her Kwami- although a bit lethargic- would float swiftly behind her.

“Marinette, I don’t think you should follow him! He said it himself, he wasn’t our Chat!” Tikki would say, landing tiredly on the girl’s shoulder, “And I can’t transform any-”

“Here,” Marinette interjected, handing the Kwami the cookie she had just swiped from one of the bakery trays, before stuffing her own bag with another handful for extra precaution, “And we have to go after him, Tikki. Either way, we have to find out what’s going on.”

With that said, Marinette watched as her Kwami nodded- albeit a bit reluctantly-and unable to speak due to the fact that it was stuffing its mouth with the cookie it had just been given. 

“You ready?” She asked after a good minute, already having ran back upstairs to her bedroom, “Then ‘Spots On, Tikki.’”

—-

The transformation- although pretty much the same as all the other times- took a bit too long for her liking in that very moment. She was in a hurry, for crying out loud and if there had been any time in her life where she wished she was permanently Ladybug- then this would’ve been one of them.

She was currently flying from building to building, flashing out her yo-yo every so often when she needed to change her direction. In her mind, Paris couldn’t have been that big, as to where, Chat Noir would never be found by her again that night. So, with that optimistic thought in mind, Ladybug would continue her search.

Her blue eyes would continue to dart around her, as she leaped, the air billowing against her tied hair. As much as she hated to say it- it was actually nice to do something so freely for once, while in uniform. 

But before she could relish too much in that fact, she knew that she had to find Chat Noir first. 

Thankfully, after a moment, a familiar shadow would be spotted moving fluidly with the dark of the night. Ladybug paused in her trek, dangling by the ends of her yo-yo, as she watched the other boy.

Should she just…yell his name?

Ugh. No, that probably wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, Ladybug would whip out her yo-yo to change her course once again, before heaving herself onto the next building he was going to leap onto. 

“Stop running!” She called out, pulling her weapon back to her side, before making the split second decision to direct it towards him. If he hadn’t been able to maneuver away from it in time, Ladybug would make sure to wrap her yo-yo around the boy’s body to keep him from bolting from her again.

Not until she got what she needed, at least. 

With a twitch of the ears and a flick of the tail, Chat noir almost seemed to fade back beyond the reach of her Yo yo. Moving so quickly that the most visible part of him then had been his eyes as they reflected the moonlight. He’d reached up, letting the taut wire of the Yo-yo wrap around his forearm, rather than his body. Standing there, broad shouldered and grim, he half-faced her, his body poised as if to say ‘I can leave when I want, and you won’t stop me.’

“..Ladybug.” He said, his tone a bit pained at the word. “…You have to forget me, you have to go back, be who you are, be the hero you’ve always been. I don’t belong here, and you should have nothing to do with me…” he added, looking away, his wrapped up arm still held up at eye level.

“I told you, I’m not your Chat Noir. That’s all you need to know…please, just let me leave. You won’t see me again.” 

Of course, it was a bit much for him to assume she’d just let him waltz off…but he really didn’t want to fight her. Even if she wasn’t the girl he’d fallen in love with. She seemed so much like her..that it was almost too much for him to bear.

Ladybug didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.

She had followed the yo-yo with her eyes, assuming that it would secure itself around Chat Noir’s body, like it normally does, but would eventually be proven wrong by what he did next. By turning his body a certain way, this Chat had managed to only get his arm caught up in its strings, causing for one particular super-heroine’s jaw to fall open. 

Just like that, Ladybug would feel her cheeks turn just as red as her uniform. 

Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to be so…so nimble, as this one was! Chat- Her Chat- wouldn’t even run away from her and be as cryptic as this! And because of the obvious differences that she now had just processed, Ladybug would mentally scold herself for not having noticed it in the first place. 

She was an idiot. Would Chat have known it wasn’t her if their situation had been switched?

Probably.

Which, of course, did not make her feel any better about this whole ordeal.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she would then fold an arm across her stomach, before bringing her free hand up to rub at her temple. The words that were coming out of his mouth had been made to seem so simple. But how, exactly, could she just…leave him be? Yes, he wasn’t her Chat Noir, but he was still….Chat Noir.

Ugh, she was starting to get a headache from all of this.

Ladybug- after having recollected herself enough- would draw in a long breath and return her gaze back towards the other boy. The dim light of the moon would cause for the look on her face to seem that much more eerie, though the sound of her voice would make her seem younger- smaller, even.

“You can’t leave. Not yet,” She’d say softly. Despite her words, she would extend a hand out to retract her yo-yo back to her, leaving his arm free from its reins. 

“Just…just tell me who you are. If you’re not my Chat, then…what did you do to him?” 

If this person did something that would lead to her not seeing Chat again, then…honestly, Ladybug wouldn’t know what to do with herself. 

They were a team. A great team, at that. 

She would be nothing without his bad luck to balance her’s out. 

And…and she needed his puns to keep her sane during their missions.

“I’m no one, just a stray.” He commented as he turned his back to her.”I didn’t do anything to him. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. But he’s fine. He doesn’t even know about me…but if he’s anything like me…well, he’s probably at home thinking about you.” He commented, “After all, he is head over heels for you.” He said, feigning cheer in his voice as he dropped into the alley below, hoping that the comment would more than suffice in keeping her c confused long enough for him to make a third attempt at a getaway.

Meanwhile on the other side of the river, across from the Fontain du Palmier, sat a rather large and wealthy looking mansion..and in one of those rooms, sat a boy at his computer, looking over a certain rather popular blog, about a certain heroine.

And then he sneezed rather loudly, slid back on his rolling chair, fell over, rolled backwards twice and smacked into the wall of his bedroom. 

“O-ow.” Adrien grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. 

A friendly little Kwami floated by, laughing as he scarfed down some Camembert. “Geez~ Someone must really be  makin’ fun of you out there~! ha!.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “That or I’m developing an allergy to your cheese habits.” he replied with a grin. “Might have to cut down on your supply, don’t you think Plagg? Wouldn’t want me getting sick right?” He replied with a tease as he got up and headed for his desk once more.

“W-what? Don’t even joke about that! You’re kidding right?…Adrien?…You’re just messing with me..right?”

…

A stray.

A stray, huh?

One that just happened to have the same uniform as Paris’ feline hero? She didn’t think so. However, she refrained from saying anything about it, until he was done speaking. 

Ladybug kept her gaze on him, even as he turned his back to her. She listened to his every word, waiting to hear the answer that she had been hoping for and when it came- she couldn’t help the subtle sigh of relief that had escaped from her lips. 

Her Chat Noir was safe and from what she had just been informed- he also had no idea of what was currently happening under the moonlight. She was about to move forward again, in hopes of maybe coaxing him into letting her help, if he really was a...well, a stray, when he what he said next stopped her in her tracks. Ladybug blinked, hearing a little chime coming from her earring, as Tikki reacted to the boy’s words, as well. 

Chat Noir was just an overall flirt. Nothing more to it than that, right? But even though that was what she kept telling herself whenever he presented her with a flower or a compliment of sorts- Ladybug still felt as though she had just swallowed glue when she heard her suspicions being voiced by a complete stranger.

Well, almost a complete stranger.

She was about to inquire more on the topic, but would only manage a, “W-wait!” once she saw the other boy take a step and descended swiftly into the alley below. 

And then- just like the shadows- he was one with the darkness.

----------------------------------------------------- 

The following morning came in a blur for one particular girl, who just couldn’t seem to keep herself awake in class.

Twice did the teacher have to stop her lecture in order to get Marinette’s attention, albeit in an embarrassing way both times. And yet despite telling herself to not close her eyes again, she would still somehow manage to fall asleep, only to be jolted awake by Ayla from beside her.

“Long night?” Her best friend would ask in a hushed tone, to which she would simply nod back in response.

‘Long night’ was more or less an understatement. 

After having gone back to her room with more questions than answers, Ladybug would shift back into Marinette, only to go to bed staring at the ceiling for the remainder of the night.

Her body knew that she needed to rest, but she, herself, didn’t want to go to sleep, per se.

In fact, she actually wanted the complete opposite. She was sort of hoping for a little akuma drama to pop up, just so she could see Chat Noir and to reassure herself that he was alright and that he was still his happy-go-lucky self.

Whoever that person was last night was probably long gone by now. 

Or she’d hoped.

If this stray appeared again, Ladybug probably wouldn’t  know where to even begin with dealing with him- let alone Marinette. 

Reblog If It Is Totally Ok For My Muse To Talk To Yours

Ok. Maybe just one more….. because Marichat is hot as hell

(SAVE ME FROM MIRACULOUS PURGATORY)

@catnoirism

Gotta spell it out for her

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual. 

As she stepped on his tail, he slipped again, face planting once more, albeit not so roughly this time. He managed to catch himself before too much damage was done, and instead shifted to rest on his knees, his ears twitched a bit, his head tilted down so his hair cast a shadow over his face. “L-Ladybug..” he began, unsure of how to even start explaining himself.”I-..” he gulped, turning his head a bit, he could see her, but for the most part, his face was still cast in shadow.

“I-I’m not..who you think I am..” he said, his voice failing him on those last few words, making them a little too faint to be properly understood. Meanwhile, from within the ring on his hand, a soft pulse of energy reminded him that he shouldn’t be interacting with her…he ignored it. Of course he knew better, of course he knew it would only cause trouble for her, he didn’t need Plagg to remind him of that. Though…he left that world to protect his Ladybug…and he wasn’t even sure if it had worked…

He simply couldn’t turn away when she asked him something so directly..even if she wasn’t his Ladybug.

There was only so much she could do as a superhero and apparently, being able to comfort her own partner was not one of them.

The sight of him just on his knees would cause for her to feel some form of guilt for having stepped on his tail in the first place, but of course, she didn’t regret it. She knew that if she hadn’t, then he would be long gone by now, running towards who-knows-where, while she was left with more questions than answers. 

And as she watched him, Ladybug couldn’t help but scour her eyes over his strangely different form. It literally had only been half an hour since she had last seen him and he was in his usual, pun-tastic mood, at that. What…what even happened after they had defeated the akuma villain and parted ways?

Having been lost in her thoughts, Ladybug would only snap her attention back to the boy in front of her, when he spoke a very faint line that she was only able to catch a few words from. Something along the lines of how he wasn’t who she thought he was, perhaps?

Instantly, she would frown and took another step closer, afraid of driving him away again if she were to move too fast. She had never seen him resemble a frightened cat so much in her entire existence as Ladybug and honestly…she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred the happy-go-lucky Chat Noir, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Hey, hey,” She’d say, trying to sound as comforting as possible, as she took another daring step closer to him and knelt down by his side, “Relax. I think you’re just stressed with all this ‘saving the world’ mumbo jumbo. Plus, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with in your other life, am I right?”

Ladybug had assumed that maybe he was just having a mental breakdown- a norm for a young superhero like himself. So, maybe…maybe she can coax him out of this fit? 

Hopefully, would be more of the right term.

Placing a reassuring palm upon his shoulder, Ladybug would tilt her head so that he would be forced to look at her straight on. And because of the new view, she was able to take a glance at him herself, to ensure that he was alright. She took in his familiar black mask, before she noticed all of the other oddities. Everything seemed to be well enough. But when she saw the actual length of his hair , then the actual shaping of his jaw-line and then…his eyes…

Ladybug would let out an astonished gasp, flinging herself away from him and immediately went to the bag around her hip to draw out her yo-yo. 

“Chat- Chat Noir?” She’d ask in disbelief, “Stay back! What did you do to him?!” 

She knew her Chat. And this person was definitely not him, despite the painstaking similarities. That would explain it then! So, was Hawk Moth behind all of this?

Ladybug groaned internally. Perfect. Just when she was about to transform back into Marinette too.

He stood slowly, deliberately, determination in his every movement. He straightened his back, but kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders were certainly broader than those of her Chat Noir, and he seemed a bit more toned, as though he might have been a slight bit older. He turned away from her, showing his back, despite the fact that she was ready to strike.

“…I am Chat Noir.” he stated, voice quivering a bit as he tried to contain the pain he felt from her sudden recoil. 

“Just..” he relaxed a bit, turning to face her, those bright  crystal blue eyes visible in the reflecting moonlight, the green lenses doing little to hide neither their natural shade, nor the pain he hid behind them as he put on a weak smile.

“…Just…not your Chat Noir…I..I’m sorry.” He turned away from her, and dove off the building and into the shadows, taking off as fast as his feet would carry him, ignoring Plagg’s constant pulsing, as though he were trying to keep him from fleeing into the night. 

This was why he’d avoided contact, surely they’d never understand…right? If anything, he probably seemed like just another foolish villain trying to trick her, or something of that nature. He wouldn’t expect her to understand, after all, she had her life here, she had her Chat Noir, he wasn’t about to have her worry over him when she had other things to occupy her mind. These were the lies he told himself as he ran. If it had not been for Plagg, he assumed the Papillon of this world would’ve claimed his mind a long time ago…

‘…Not your Chat Noir…’

She wouldn’t have believed him either, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just looked into those…those blue orbs just moments ago. 

And yet still- his words seemed to rush through her like a wave and although she understood what he meant- she also didn’t at the same time. 

Not her Chat Noir, but he was a Chat Noir? How many of him were there?! But once again, before Ladybug could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the…the other Chat had already bolted away while she had been distracted.

Her blue eyes followed the boy’s dark shadow as it seemingly floated through the night, leaping off various buildings in the process. At that very moment, she had it in mind to just let him go. If he hadn’t been her’s, then there was really no point in her fussing over all of this, right? 

But then again…ugh. 

So many things could go wrong, if she just let this slide. What if he was one of Hawk Moth’s new puppets? Or worse- What if Chat Noir had been brainwashed and somehow been altered physically, as well and…

Right then and there, Ladybug would make up her mind. Wasting no time, she would then dart quickly off the side of the building and dash the short few yards it took for her to get back to her house. Upon arrival, Ladybug would toss her yo-yo around the bars of her bedroom balcony and hoist herself up in one smooth leap, landing on the platform a few seconds after.

“Alright, change back,” She’d say aloud, as Tikki began to de-transform her before she had even gotten all of her words out, “I’m going to need to go back out there.”

As Marinette, the girl would then bolt downstairs to the bakery, making sure to stay as silent as possible to keep from waking up her parents. Her Kwami- although a bit lethargic- would float swiftly behind her.

“Marinette, I don’t think you should follow him! He said it himself, he wasn’t our Chat!” Tikki would say, landing tiredly on the girl’s shoulder, “And I can’t transform any-”

“Here,” Marinette interjected, handing the Kwami the cookie she had just swiped from one of the bakery trays, before stuffing her own bag with another handful for extra precaution, “And we have to go after him, Tikki. Either way, we have to find out what’s going on.”

With that said, Marinette watched as her Kwami nodded- albeit a bit reluctantly-and unable to speak due to the fact that it was stuffing its mouth with the cookie it had just been given. 

“You ready?” She asked after a good minute, already having ran back upstairs to her bedroom, “Then ‘Spots On, Tikki.’”

—-

The transformation- although pretty much the same as all the other times- took a bit too long for her liking in that very moment. She was in a hurry, for crying out loud and if there had been any time in her life where she wished she was permanently Ladybug- then this would’ve been one of them.

She was currently flying from building to building, flashing out her yo-yo every so often when she needed to change her direction. In her mind, Paris couldn’t have been that big, as to where, Chat Noir would never be found by her again that night. So, with that optimistic thought in mind, Ladybug would continue her search.

Her blue eyes would continue to dart around her, as she leaped, the air billowing against her tied hair. As much as she hated to say it- it was actually nice to do something so freely for once, while in uniform. 

But before she could relish too much in that fact, she knew that she had to find Chat Noir first. 

Thankfully, after a moment, a familiar shadow would be spotted moving fluidly with the dark of the night. Ladybug paused in her trek, dangling by the ends of her yo-yo, as she watched the other boy.

Should she just…yell his name?

Ugh. No, that probably wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, Ladybug would whip out her yo-yo to change her course once again, before heaving herself onto the next building he was going to leap onto. 

“Stop running!” She called out, pulling her weapon back to her side, before making the split second decision to direct it towards him. If he hadn’t been able to maneuver away from it in time, Ladybug would make sure to wrap her yo-yo around the boy’s body to keep him from bolting from her again.

Not until she got what she needed, at least. 

With a twitch of the ears and a flick of the tail, Chat noir almost seemed to fade back beyond the reach of her Yo yo. Moving so quickly that the most visible part of him then had been his eyes as they reflected the moonlight. He’d reached up, letting the taut wire of the Yo-yo wrap around his forearm, rather than his body. Standing there, broad shouldered and grim, he half-faced her, his body poised as if to say ‘I can leave when I want, and you won’t stop me.’

“..Ladybug.” He said, his tone a bit pained at the word. “…You have to forget me, you have to go back, be who you are, be the hero you’ve always been. I don’t belong here, and you should have nothing to do with me…” he added, looking away, his wrapped up arm still held up at eye level.

“I told you, I’m not your Chat Noir. That’s all you need to know…please, just let me leave. You won’t see me again.” 

Of course, it was a bit much for him to assume she’d just let him waltz off…but he really didn’t want to fight her. Even if she wasn’t the girl he’d fallen in love with. She seemed so much like her..that it was almost too much for him to bear.

Ladybug didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.

She had followed the yo-yo with her eyes, assuming that it would secure itself around Chat Noir’s body, like it normally does, but would eventually be proven wrong by what he did next. By turning his body a certain way, this Chat had managed to only get his arm caught up in its strings, causing for one particular super-heroine’s jaw to fall open. 

Just like that, Ladybug would feel her cheeks turn just as red as her uniform. 

Chat Noir wasn’t supposed to be so...so nimble, as this one was! Chat- Her Chat- wouldn’t even run away from her and be as cryptic as this! And because of the obvious differences that she now had just processed, Ladybug would mentally scold herself for not having noticed it in the first place. 

She was an idiot. Would Chat have known it wasn’t her if their situation had been switched?

Probably.

Which, of course, did not make her feel any better about this whole ordeal.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she would then fold an arm across her stomach, before bringing her free hand up to rub at her temple. The words that were coming out of his mouth had been made to seem so simple. But how, exactly, could she just...leave him be? Yes, he wasn’t her Chat Noir, but he was still....Chat Noir.

Ugh, she was starting to get a headache from all of this.

Ladybug- after having recollected herself enough- would draw in a long breath and return her gaze back towards the other boy. The dim light of the moon would cause for the look on her face to seem that much more eerie, though the sound of her voice would make her seem younger- smaller, even.

“You can’t leave. Not yet,” She’d say softly. Despite her words, she would extend a hand out to retract her yo-yo back to her, leaving his arm free from its reins. 

“Just...just tell me who you are. If you’re not my Chat, then...what did you do to him?” 

If this person did something that would lead to her not seeing Chat again, then...honestly, Ladybug wouldn’t know what to do with herself. 

They were a team. A great team, at that. 

She would be nothing without his bad luck to balance her’s out. 

And...and she needed his puns to keep her sane during their missions.

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual. 

As she stepped on his tail, he slipped again, face planting once more, albeit not so roughly this time. He managed to catch himself before too much damage was done, and instead shifted to rest on his knees, his ears twitched a bit, his head tilted down so his hair cast a shadow over his face. “L-Ladybug..” he began, unsure of how to even start explaining himself.”I-..” he gulped, turning his head a bit, he could see her, but for the most part, his face was still cast in shadow.

“I-I’m not..who you think I am..” he said, his voice failing him on those last few words, making them a little too faint to be properly understood. Meanwhile, from within the ring on his hand, a soft pulse of energy reminded him that he shouldn’t be interacting with her…he ignored it. Of course he knew better, of course he knew it would only cause trouble for her, he didn’t need Plagg to remind him of that. Though…he left that world to protect his Ladybug…and he wasn’t even sure if it had worked…

He simply couldn’t turn away when she asked him something so directly..even if she wasn’t his Ladybug.

There was only so much she could do as a superhero and apparently, being able to comfort her own partner was not one of them.

The sight of him just on his knees would cause for her to feel some form of guilt for having stepped on his tail in the first place, but of course, she didn’t regret it. She knew that if she hadn’t, then he would be long gone by now, running towards who-knows-where, while she was left with more questions than answers. 

And as she watched him, Ladybug couldn’t help but scour her eyes over his strangely different form. It literally had only been half an hour since she had last seen him and he was in his usual, pun-tastic mood, at that. What…what even happened after they had defeated the akuma villain and parted ways?

Having been lost in her thoughts, Ladybug would only snap her attention back to the boy in front of her, when he spoke a very faint line that she was only able to catch a few words from. Something along the lines of how he wasn’t who she thought he was, perhaps?

Instantly, she would frown and took another step closer, afraid of driving him away again if she were to move too fast. She had never seen him resemble a frightened cat so much in her entire existence as Ladybug and honestly…she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred the happy-go-lucky Chat Noir, as much as she hated to admit it.

“Hey, hey,” She’d say, trying to sound as comforting as possible, as she took another daring step closer to him and knelt down by his side, “Relax. I think you’re just stressed with all this ‘saving the world’ mumbo jumbo. Plus, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with in your other life, am I right?”

Ladybug had assumed that maybe he was just having a mental breakdown- a norm for a young superhero like himself. So, maybe…maybe she can coax him out of this fit? 

Hopefully, would be more of the right term.

Placing a reassuring palm upon his shoulder, Ladybug would tilt her head so that he would be forced to look at her straight on. And because of the new view, she was able to take a glance at him herself, to ensure that he was alright. She took in his familiar black mask, before she noticed all of the other oddities. Everything seemed to be well enough. But when she saw the actual length of his hair , then the actual shaping of his jaw-line and then…his eyes…

Ladybug would let out an astonished gasp, flinging herself away from him and immediately went to the bag around her hip to draw out her yo-yo. 

“Chat- Chat Noir?” She’d ask in disbelief, “Stay back! What did you do to him?!” 

She knew her Chat. And this person was definitely not him, despite the painstaking similarities. That would explain it then! So, was Hawk Moth behind all of this?

Ladybug groaned internally. Perfect. Just when she was about to transform back into Marinette too.

He stood slowly, deliberately, determination in his every movement. He straightened his back, but kept his eyes on the ground, his shoulders were certainly broader than those of her Chat Noir, and he seemed a bit more toned, as though he might have been a slight bit older. He turned away from her, showing his back, despite the fact that she was ready to strike.

“…I am Chat Noir.” he stated, voice quivering a bit as he tried to contain the pain he felt from her sudden recoil. 

“Just..” he relaxed a bit, turning to face her, those bright  crystal blue eyes visible in the reflecting moonlight, the green lenses doing little to hide neither their natural shade, nor the pain he hid behind them as he put on a weak smile.

“…Just…not your Chat Noir…I..I’m sorry.” He turned away from her, and dove off the building and into the shadows, taking off as fast as his feet would carry him, ignoring Plagg’s constant pulsing, as though he were trying to keep him from fleeing into the night. 

This was why he’d avoided contact, surely they’d never understand…right? If anything, he probably seemed like just another foolish villain trying to trick her, or something of that nature. He wouldn’t expect her to understand, after all, she had her life here, she had her Chat Noir, he wasn’t about to have her worry over him when she had other things to occupy her mind. These were the lies he told himself as he ran. If it had not been for Plagg, he assumed the Papillon of this world would’ve claimed his mind a long time ago…

‘...Not your Chat Noir...’

She wouldn’t have believed him either, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she had just looked into those...those blue orbs just moments ago. 

And yet still- his words seemed to rush through her like a wave and although she understood what he meant- she also didn’t at the same time. 

Not her Chat Noir, but he was a Chat Noir? How many of him were there?! But once again, before Ladybug could even begin to comprehend what was happening, the...the other Chat had already bolted away while she had been distracted.

Her blue eyes followed the boy’s dark shadow as it seemingly floated through the night, leaping off various buildings in the process. At that very moment, she had it in mind to just let him go. If he hadn’t been her’s, then there was really no point in her fussing over all of this, right? 

But then again...ugh. 

So many things could go wrong, if she just let this slide. What if he was one of Hawk Moth’s new puppets? Or worse- What if Chat Noir had been brainwashed and somehow been altered physically, as well and...

Right then and there, Ladybug would make up her mind. Wasting no time, she would then dart quickly off the side of the building and dash the short few yards it took for her to get back to her house. Upon arrival, Ladybug would toss her yo-yo around the bars of her bedroom balcony and hoist herself up in one smooth leap, landing on the platform a few seconds after.

“Alright, change back,” She’d say aloud, as Tikki began to de-transform her before she had even gotten all of her words out, “I’m going to need to go back out there.”

As Marinette, the girl would then bolt downstairs to the bakery, making sure to stay as silent as possible to keep from waking up her parents. Her Kwami- although a bit lethargic- would float swiftly behind her.

“Marinette, I don’t think you should follow him! He said it himself, he wasn’t our Chat!” Tikki would say, landing tiredly on the girl’s shoulder, “And I can’t transform any-”

“Here,” Marinette interjected, handing the Kwami the cookie she had just swiped from one of the bakery trays, before stuffing her own bag with another handful for extra precaution, “And we have to go after him, Tikki. Either way, we have to find out what’s going on.”

With that said, Marinette watched as her Kwami nodded- albeit a bit reluctantly-and unable to speak due to the fact that it was stuffing its mouth with the cookie it had just been given. 

“You ready?” She asked after a good minute, already having ran back upstairs to her bedroom, “Then ‘Spots On, Tikki.’”

----

The transformation- although pretty much the same as all the other times- took a bit too long for her liking in that very moment. She was in a hurry, for crying out loud and if there had been any time in her life where she wished she was permanently Ladybug- then this would've been one of them.

She was currently flying from building to building, flashing out her yo-yo every so often when she needed to change her direction. In her mind, Paris couldn’t have been that big, as to where, Chat Noir would never be found by her again that night. So, with that optimistic thought in mind, Ladybug would continue her search.

Her blue eyes would continue to dart around her, as she leaped, the air billowing against her tied hair. As much as she hated to say it- it was actually nice to do something so freely for once, while in uniform. 

But before she could relish too much in that fact, she knew that she had to find Chat Noir first. 

Thankfully, after a moment, a familiar shadow would be spotted moving fluidly with the dark of the night. Ladybug paused in her trek, dangling by the ends of her yo-yo, as she watched the other boy.

Should she just...yell his name?

Ugh. No, that probably wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, Ladybug would whip out her yo-yo to change her course once again, before heaving herself onto the next building he was going to leap onto. 

“Stop running!” She called out, pulling her weapon back to her side, before making the split second decision to direct it towards him. If he hadn’t been able to maneuver away from it in time, Ladybug would make sure to wrap her yo-yo around the boy’s body to keep him from bolting from her again.

Not until she got what she needed, at least. 

Closed RP: Spots in the Moonlight.

Felix had been here for a good number of days now, one would think he would’ve been accustomed to the way of the world by now… But after realizing that this world was not his own, and discovering that there was no way home? Well…he was left in a state of emotional limbo. And the only way to cure it? 

Prowl the rooftops of Paris by nightfall, as Chat Noir. After all, people knew the hero, and it wasn’t as though this world’s counterpart went out at night anyway, so what was the harm? Right? 

Tonight was one such night. He found himself sitting atop a roof that faced a particular bakery..He’d managed to sneak in earlier that day and steal himself a loaf of bread, by far the most food he’d been able to scrounge in the past week or so. With no money to his name, being Chat Noir was just about the closest he could get to a stable life. 

Whenever he was out of uniform, everything was just a little more difficult. Sure, he could work his charm, he could work his know-how, probably start up a company with all of the knowledge his father had instilled in him from youth, but..what was the point? He wasn’t an Agreste anymore, no matter what surname he wore, the only real Identity he could connect to at this point in his life? Was Chat Noir. If it wasn’t for the constant company of Plagg, he probably would’ve wasted away by now.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, the strange aura lingering in the air had been felt by one particular super-heroine for nearly a week now and yet she still had not been able to figure out the cause of it. It couldn’t have been a mere akuma, could it? If it were, then her and Chat Noir would have taken care of it by now. And better yet- why would Hawk Moth stay so…so quiet for so long? 

As Ladybug, Marinette knew that she had to prepare for something- something big. But the problem was…agh. How could she “prepare” for anything if she had no idea what that thing was!

The frustration was evidently written across the girl’s face, as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo, securing it on the streetlight that was the closest to her family bakery. After her most recent mission, it was safe to say that Ladybug was exhausted, but then again, she couldn’t exactly rest until she was within the safety and privacy of her own bedroom. Thankfully; however, Tikki’s energy was holding out pretty well and Ladybug didn’t feel too much of a need to rush back home before she changed.

With one final swing, she managed to lift herself fully onto her bedroom balcony, landing with a graceful thud as she did so. Ladybug would let out a soft sigh and was about to have Tikki de-transform her, that is, until she spotted a familiar black tail flowing somewhere from the edge of her roof. 

She blinked.

Was that-….

“Chat?” She’d say, barely above a whisper.

What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave her just moments earlier, because his ring was running out of energy? 

“Er-…Chat Noir?” Ladybug would say a bit louder this time, stepping casually onto the metal bars of her balcony, in order to try and get a peek at him, “Is there a reason why you’re on my- uh, I mean- the bakery’s roof?”  

His eyes widened, he’d been caught mid-bite. He turned, bright  crystal-blue eyes falling upon her, his ears bent back a bit in shock as he spotted that oh so familiar figure. He gulped down hard on the bread and dove forward, his heart racing as he hooked his hands on the lamp post and spun twice, launching himself into the air and onto the roof across the way, making a mad dash for the opposite direction.

‘Nononono-’ He thought to himself as he ran. ‘No. That was her. That was definitely her. That was Ladybug. Oh god, how could I be so stupid?! Of course she’d notice me running about the rooftops every night, I should’ve been more careful! Stupid Chat, Stupid!” He scolded inwardly, one missed step later however, led to another brilliant example of Chat’s oh-so-purrfect balancing skills as he managed to trip on a loose rooftop tile, tumbling forward and slamming into said rooftop’s chimney: Face first.

“O-ow..” he groaned as he rested one clawed hand against the chimney’s surface, rubbing at his nose with his free hand as he got up, trying to clear out the sparks in his eyes from the impact.

…..

Was he eating a loaf of bread?

Again, the red-and-black super-heroine would blink, unable to think of a proper way to respond to what she was seeing.

It was odd enough that he had somehow ended up on her rooftop, after the fact that he had told her he needed to leave immediately once their job was done, because he was about to change back. But this? 

How did he end up here of all places? 

Unless…

No. No! Chat couldn’t possibly know who she actually was, could he? A sudden blush that would be caused by an oncoming mix of sensations consisting of embarrassment, shock and partial violation could be seen making its way onto her face. 

 However, before she could even say anything else to him- Chat Noir would suddenly rise to his feet and bolt towards the lamp post that would then carry him onto the roof directly across from her.

“Chat!” Ladybug called out, albeit a bit impulsively due to it being the dead of night, as she just watched her partner run away from her with a look of…of both fear and dread written all over his masked face. 

This was all too strange.

She had the urge to chase him down to force some form of an answer out of him, but did she even have time? Turning her blue eyes towards the moon, Ladybug would draw in a long breath and exhale it in an exasperated manner. Great. It wasn’t like she could just abandon him like that.

So, with one swift movement, the girl would leap off of her balcony and land with a soft roll onto the ground. Immediately, Ladybug would lift herself up and dart in the direction where Chat had gone, using her yo-yo to lift her into the air whenever necessary.

Thankfully, her search did not go on for very long. 

About halfway across the next roof that she had landed on, Ladybug would notice the familiar black form of Chat Noir himself, laying stretched out with his face painfully close to the house’s chimney. 

Instantly, she felt herself grow all the more frustrated. She was running out of time.

“Just a little longer, Tikki,” She whispered to the Kwami within her earring.

Ladybug would then whip out her yo-yo and secure it around the same chimney that Chat had ran into. Giving it a hard tug, she would manage to hoist her body upward and land her feet right where he was laying, before she would turn her glare down his way.

“What are you doing?” She’d say aloud this time, leaning down to offer him her hand, “Are you insane? I thought you went home!” 

“O-owowow..” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose before he looked up, sparks still twinkling in his eyes as he looked at her. Those same eyes widened a bit, and a light blush coated his cheeks…Ladybug. It was like that first time, the first time he’d spotted her, dashing along rooftops with a smile on her face in the bright blue moonlight…and yet this time, she looked pissed…he knew this wasn’t his Ladybug..but it did little to shake the effect.

He stumbled back, rolling to his feet and turning as he aimed to make a run for it. He couldn’t let her find out, he couldn’t let anyone find out. To the people of Paris, he was nothing more than a stand in during the moonlit nights, while his counterpart in this world prowled the rooftops during the day. After all, how would she even react? 

Surely she didn’t know him, surely she couldn’t know him at all, and for all he knew…well..for all he knew she was an entirely different person..no matter how familiar or beautiful she seemed in his eyes. He scrambled along the rooftop, his tail whipping out behind him, just within reach for a certain someone to step on. Should they intend to keep him in place of course.

Ladybug watched him with narrowed eyes, as her extended hand would drop back down to her side. This was weird even for him and to be honest, she had no idea how to even help. Not when her earring continued to beep in warning, much to her dismay.

And yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn away from him. From her partner.

“Why, exactly, are you avoiding me?” She’d ask, folding her arms across her chest, with the scowl seemingly plastered upon her face, “Chat, if something wrong, then say so! I don’t…have…a lot of…ti-..me…”

As she spoke, Ladybug’s gaze would follow the boy’s form, tilting her head until she was able to fully look at his attire in the dim moonlight. Had he always had such a long belt? Or, actually, his hair…and…

Ladybug frowned, taking a step forward right when he was about to take off again, “Whoa there, Kitty.” This time, she made sure to place her foot directly on his much-lengthier tail, while her arms remained folded across her chest. 

It was weird. Suddenly, her heart had begun to beat faster and she had no idea why. It was as if she knew something was about to happen right then and there and…well, it was as if she was scared. 

But scared of what? Of Chat? 

“Chat,” Ladybug would say, her voice coming out much gentler than it was before, despite having her foot firmly pressed down on the boy’s tail, “Can you just talk to me? What happened…?” 

Again, Tikki’s warning alarms were going off against her ear, though she chose to ignore it.

“Not yet, Tikki, please,” The girl pleaded under her breath, even though she knew it would be useless.

If Tikki couldn’t hold it any longer, then she would be transformed back to Marinette on the spot. Ladybug could only hope that the large cookie she had given the Kwami earlier would be enough to last it just a teensy bit longer than usual.