Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

10:06pm

[ladybug enters chatroom 3]

LB: Chat, I’ve got a job.

10:09pm

[Chat enters chatroom 3]

CN: I love whenever it says “Chat enters CHATroom”. It’s the ultimate pun.

LB: Chaat. I’m serious. I have a job that I think will appeal to both of us.

CN: I’m listening.

LB: Warehouse on Fifth street. Bring climbing gear.

CN: Done. 11pm?

LB: The usual time.

[10:11pm] LB: Oh, and don’t forget your lockpicks and your laptop.

CN: When have I ever gone anywhere without those?

LB: That’s why you’re my go-to, chaton.

CN: Oh, how I adore you, milady.

LB: that’s quite enough of that

CN: Never enough of that.

LB: Don’t sing.

CN: NEVER, NEVERRRRR, NEVER ENOUGHHHHHH!

LB: no.

CN: FOR MEEEE!

LB: Cease your howling this instant.

CN: God, I love the soundtrack to greatest showman.

LB: Whatever. Just remember the code.

CN: Cat’s honor, my lovely Lady. See you tonight.

LB: See you, minou.

[Ladybug leaves chatroom 3]

---

Marinette hastily put her phone facedown on her desk just as Alya leaned over.

“What are you doing?”

Marinette flashed her an innocent smile. “Trying not to look at photos of Adrien.”

Alya groaned and flopped backward onto Marinette’s chaise. The girls were in Marinette’s room, pretending to do homework, but really just goofing off. “Get over him. He’s a basic white boy.”

Marinette sighed as she thought about her longtime crush for real this time. “He’s kind.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “You’re kinder.”

“He’s charming.”

“Like a mailbox.”

“Hey! He’s smart,” pointed out Marinette, ticking his attributes off on her fingers.

“So he’s like a dictionary.”

“Can a dictionary have mind-blowing s—”

Alya laughed. “And that’s my cue.” She sat up and began gathering her books haphazardly into her bag. “See you tomorrow?”

Marinette hummed, turning back to a dress design she had open on her tablet. “Sounds good. Love you!”

Alya sighed and stared down at Marinette for an unreadable moment, before picking up her bag and walking away. “Love you, too, Mari.”

------

Marinette slipped the spotted mask over her face, feeling the rush of adrenaline ease through her aching veins. She loved this. The thrill of the hunt, knowing that they were doing good, the righteousness of running along rooftops of rich businessmen under cover of darkness. Adjusting her grip on her grappling hook, she swung a wide loop around the factory’s wall before alighting on an abandoned ledge along the side of the chosen warehouse.

The first few times she had worked with Chat, her pulse would skyrocket whenever she landed at their meeting place and did not see him immediately. She would always wonder whether he had betrayed her, goosebumps tickling the back of her neck as she reached for her weapons in case of a surprise attack.

But now, she knew better. She knew him. She knew how to spot him as he blended in perfectly among the shadows. To a casual observer, or even a trained one, he was completely invisible. But to her, he stood like a shining beacon in the dark, dusty skies of the factory district or the mansions they had visited in the past.

But more importantly, she knew that there was no one out there more loyal than her Kitty cat.

Smiling at the shadow that she knew to be him, she shifted her weight from her toes to the balls of her feet and glided along the ledge toward it. “Chaton,” she called. “Here, Kitty, Kitty.”

Silence.

She continued to smile.

“You know, that’s a demeaning nickname,” came a voice. She pinpointed its source exactly to the spot she had guessed earlier.

She resisted the urge to grin and instead crossed her arms, coming to a standstill on the ledge. “But it suits you perfectly.”

He shifted forward and strode toward her, sword across his back and bandana covering the lower half of his face, only his glittering eyes visible in the dark. As he came closer, she couldn’t hide her grin at his usual cat ears that matched the black leather of his jacket, worn over a fine black shirt with its collar whipped by the wind.

She resisted reaching out to touch him. She had touched his cat ears once. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

He only stopped once he was toe-to-toe with her, green eyes boring into her own. “Beg to differ. I’m no kitten.”

She fought another urge to touch his pouting lips through the fabric of his bandana. “Then go ahead and beg.”

He smiled, teeth flashing white in the moonlight. “If that’s what my Lady desires.”

Her smile dropped. “You’re such a flirt.” She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. He didn’t even flinch, smile widening. “Let’s get down to business.”

“Mulan’s a great movie.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Focus.” She reached into her backpack and pulled out a paper map. He nodded, eyes flicking away from hers as he looked down at the floorplan of the warehouse.

That was their first rule. No electronics, no trace. The only exception was Chat’s encrypted laptop.

She pointed to a window on the map, symbolized by an indent in the drawing of the outer wall. “False entry here.” She pointed to a position she had marked with the word “Skylight” in block red letters. “Real entry here.”

He nodded again, already slinging his sword and his laptop bag off of his shoulder. “I’m on it. Alarm system?”

She gave him the schematics and other details. He typed for a few minutes, before making a judgemental noise. “Tsk, tsk.” He looked up at her and smiled, turning his laptop toward her to display the building’s entire alarm system on his screen. “Child’s play.”

She smiled back. “Chat’s play.”

His eyes widened, and for a moment, Ladybug saw a flash of surprise and the beginnings of a real smile forming on his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling even as his eyebrows rose.

Jackpot, she thought to herself.

His face was so expressive, but he used it like a canvas, only painting what he wanted her to see. But in some moments, she caught his true expressions, and she enjoyed the challenge of trying to get a real reaction out of him.

He pulled the laptop back around to face himself again, but Ladybug caught the blush on his cheeks. He fiddled with his bandana for a moment before dropping his hands back to the keyboard. He had fine hands, with his right hand ring finger featuring a tan line where she assumed a ring usually would be. She had noticed it before, but she knew not to ask.

Rule 2.

“T minus five, the alarm will go off at FE,” he said after another minute, slipping into their familiar shorthand.

She nodded. “You watch FE, and after they’re done with it, enter through there once they override. I’ll take care of AE.”

He met her eyes. “Then convergence point – here?” he asked, gesturing to the map without looking away from her eyes.

She didn’t need to look down. She knew that he understood her plan. “CP there. Then we run a roundabout, take the TOI, and disappear through the vents. Security will be scanning FE primary and FE secondary. Got it?”

He tilted his head and closed his eyes. She knew that look, too.

There were many hackers like Chat. Hackers were a dime a dozen. Good ones, perhaps, were a dime a half dozen. But Chat was different from the others she’d worked with. There was no one she trusted more to double check her work and make sure that her plan was airtight. After working with him, she couldn’t go back. She couldn’t rotate through hackers like the others could. She had to have Chat.

She waited as he continued to think through the plan and made sure he understood. Keeping his eyes closed, he frowned after a moment, as if visualizing something particularly unsavory. “And the vents lead…outside? No muss, no fuss?”

She shook her head. “All my plans that involve vents have never involved any muss or fuss. Yours, on the other hand…”

He opened his eyes, only to glare at her. “My plans are purr-fect.” He had offered to be the one to make the master plans a couple of times. Although he was brilliant (but Ladybug would never tell him that to his face), his plans…often got them locked in various tunnels that all somehow involved excretion or mud. At least, she hoped it was mud.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to keep that ego of yours nice and giant.”

“Well, you know I’ve got a lot of giant things to take care of,” he said, wriggling his eyebrows up and down.

“UGH! You nasty!” she yelped, poking his nose with a finger and shoving him away. He let himself get pushed, laughing. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

He scoffed. “Oh please. Imagine how boring your life would be without me. And difficult, too.”

Smiling, she looked away, toward the warehouse that awaited them. “Yes, you’re very difficult.”

Now that she was looking away, he felt comfortable enough to stare at her unabashedly. “I think you’re confusing me with your other favorite hacker.”

“You’re right. Viperion would never let my life be difficult.”

He squawked indignantly. “Vi-Viperion?”

She laughed. “You are so easy to tease.”

Crossing his arms, he turned away from her. “Hurtful. I might be a cat, but your claws are much sharper.”

“Speaking of sharp, I think we’re almost ready. Good to go?”

He slipped his laptop back onto his back and reached for the hilt of his weapon, adjusting it for a moment. She hesitated and reached for him, thinking that he might need help, but instead, he caught her wrist and held her hand to his face. Pressing his lips, although through the bandana, to her hand, he could feel her shudder under his touch.

“Always, my Lady.”

She shook him off lightly. “Claws to yourself, Kitty. Ten seconds.”

He saluted her. “See you on the other side.”

She didn’t smile, but her eyes took on that brightness that told him that she was concentrating, in her Ladybug way. She would be thinking up dozens of escape plans and back-up plans, even before they had entered the building.

It was one of his favorite things about her.

“See you, Chat Noir,” she whispered to him, before swinging away.

--------

The plan went flawlessly. Their plans usually went flawlessly. Ladybug's diagram was perfect (they were always perfect), Chat’s hacking didn’t fail (he never failed), and their fighting left no blood (they had only left behind blood once). Ladybug gave Chat an appreciative nod before she swung out of the warehouse, completely missing his dazzled smile at her. The guards followed the duo onto the roof, but by the time they got there, panting, Ladybug and Chat had long since fled the scene.

Landing on a wall toward the outskirts of the district, Ladybug held out a fist. “Well done.”

He fist-bumped her back. “Pound it.”

Reaching to the belt wrapped loosely around her waist, she pulled off an object she had clipped to it.

Chat leaned closer. “What’s that?” he asked, blinking owlishly at her. She looked over at him cursorily, wondering for a moment whether he wore glasses normally. His eyes seemed unnaturally green. Did he wear contacts?

“The thing we came for," she replied at last. "Our Target of Interest. Obviously.”

Chat smirked. “Oh, c’mon, milady. Playing hard to get?”

“Unlike you,” she shot back, not noticing his smile slip a bit.

But she did notice when he stepped close to her to examine the object in her hand like the curious cat he was. Sighing, she held the object up a bit higher. “It’s a jewel.”

Chat crossed his arms. “Your vision must be bad. That’s a box.” He squinted at it. “It’s got some weird markings on it.”

Ladybug scowled at him. “The jewel is inside the box.” Carefully, with Chat looking over her shoulder, she opened it. Inside were a pair of earrings, glowing a dull black, almost ethereal in the darkness.

Chat raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “It’s part of a set.”

“So we can play dress-up with our dolls once we have all of them?”

Ladybug shot him a cutting glare, but he only grinned back at her. “Just teasing, milady.” He gestured down at the box. “What’s so special about this set of jewelry?”

Ladybug shut the box and slipped it back onto her belt. “It’s been said to have mythological, magical powers, but I don’t know if I believe it.”

“Why would you? It’s only in a mysterious box.”

She ignored his remark. “More importantly, the set together is worth five million euros.”

She resisted the urge to laugh when she saw Chat’s jaw drop. “FIVE MILLION—”

“This specific jewel though?” she added. “It’s said to be one of the most powerful of the set. Alone, it’s worth 500,000 euros.”

Chat’s eyes popped out of his head. “What?” He shook his head, golden locks flying. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” she said, trying not to grin at him.

Chat ran his hands through his hair. “This is by far the biggest heist we’ve pulled off.”

“I know,” she smiled smugly. “Congrats.”

He had turned away, but at her final word he whipped his head back up to meet her eyes. “For what, exactly? Where did we just break into?”

Now, she allowed herself to grin. “The Mayor’s safe.”

Chat looked up at her, shocked. “But it felt so easy.” He shook his head, this time keeping his gaze on her face, his eyes glowing. “You’re a wonder.”

Normally, Ladybug would just shrug off his compliments and flirting, but sometimes, he sounded genuine. This felt like one of those times.

It was her weakness.

She forced herself to look away. “Bye bye, Kitty Cat.” Giving him a half-wave, she swung her grappling hook at a nearby wall. “Until next time.”

“Until next time, my lovely Lady,” he whispered. But she was long gone into the night.

--------

Adrien tried desperately to keep his eyes open as his teacher droned on about physics. He had studied most of this anyway when he had been homeschooled, but he normally paid attention.

Nights after his heists with Ladybug, though, he often allowed himself to slack off.

He kept his phone under the desk, checking the News app every now and again. The money (or valuable jewels) they stole wasn’t for keeps for either of them. It would appear on the news any second now…

“Adrien Agreste!”

He jolted in his seat, squeezing his phone to keep it from falling onto the floor. “Ms. Mendeleev.”

“Are you paying attention?” she asked, scowling at him from the front of the room.

He scanned the figures on the board for a second. “The normal force is mg sine of theta,” he replied.

She sighed. “Yes, Mr. Agreste, you’re correct. But I was just asking you to close the window.”

"Oh." He felt himself flush as his classmates giggled.

Looking up briefly, Adrien met Marinette's eyes and saw a blush on her cheeks to match his own. She was always so empathetic, he thought to himself fondly, always feeling for those around her. She could never hide her reactions from anyone. He stood up to walk over to the window, passing Marinette on his way over. She looked tired, too, but she often had bags under eyes from staying up late working on projects or homework. Nothing out of the ordinary for his hard-working classmate.

After he closed the window, he walked back to his seat, but this time, he noticed Marinette doing something a bit odd. She was looking at her phone as if expecting a notification.

Much like he had been.

A moment later, she smiled and put her phone down. Immediately, he felt his own phone buzz in his hands. Surreptitiously checking it under his desk, he exhaled in relief at what he saw.

“Top News Story: The Mysterious “Miraculer,” Paris’s Very Own Robin Hood, Has Donated 500,000 euros to a Neighborhood in Need of Water Source”

He scrolled down to the article, reading snippets in between his physics note-taking.

“The questions remain: Who is Miraculer? Where did they get the money? And why are they doing this?”

Well, Adrien thought to himself, the third question’s answer should be obvious. And he alone, beside Ladybug, knew the answer to the second question.

But for the first, Adrien himself didn’t know. Although he knew that Ladybug was the criminal mastermind behind-the-scenes, Miraculer themselves was Ladybug’s public face. They, whoever they were, coordinated the sales of valuable objects, the donations, and even sometimes helped Ladybug find places to rob.

He smiled at the description of Miraculer. “Robin Hood” indeed.

But more importantly, why had Marinette been checking her phone? He felt his body tense. Did she…have a secret admirer? Or was she connected to Miraculer?

He looked over at her again, but this time, their eyes met. She had already been staring at him, her face flushed.

Both looked away rapidly.

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

Marinette stood by herself in a corner of the lunchroom, her phone angled carefully away from bystanders.

[12:01pm]

[Ladybug has entered chatroom 2]

LB: Miraculer?

[12:02pm]

[Miraculer has entered chatroom 2]

MC: Marinette?

LB: Shhhh…

MC: Right, sorry. But you know who I am, too!

LB: But we don’t want to get caught.

MC: Right. Sorry.

LB: Don’t apologize. Great choice on neighborhood, by the way.

MC: Thank you! I heard about it through my father. He has to go down there quite a bit, unfortunately. He does his best but…

LB: I’m glad we were able to help them.

MC: Me too. What Chloe’s father is allowing to happen isn’t right.

LB: are you still trying to convince her?

MC: She’s my best friend.

LB: Sometimes, people are lost causes, S.

MC: I know, but I can’t help it though. I love her, M.

LB: *sigh* I know, I know.

MC: Speaking of love…

LB: No.

MC: Tell me tell me tell me. You know I can be annoying.

LB: That’s true. Almost as annoying as he is.

MC: awwww…

LB: Alya’s sniffing around. She thinks I slept with someone.

MC: You…did.

LB: I know! But what I am supposed to say? That I don’t know his name?

MC: Makes you sound a little slutty, to be honest.

LB: stop.

MC: Maybe “chat” it up with him. Find out more.

LB: We talk.

MC: …outside of working a job.

LB: last time we did that was…

MC: you weren’t chatting much then, now were you?

LB: Harsh.

MC: He loves you, Mari. And besides…I did a little digging…

LB: You didn’t! That’s against the code!

MC: I know, I know. But technically, you didn’t ask me to do it.

LB: Definitely not.

MC: Mari, he’s…famous. He’s hacked for a lot of people before.

LB: I know, he had to give us references. Lots of higher-ups in the market.

MC: But I didn’t realize the projects he’s worked on. High-level stuff, Mari. He’s written viruses to hack into several major companies…He’s probably a millionaire.

LB: …I don’t think so. I know he’s somewhat well off, but he says it’s from his family.

MC: I think he’s been giving away his money, too.

MC: Mari, do you know what this means? he’s been doing your idea on his own!

LB: nooooo

MC: Why is this bad

LB: It makes me like him. I can’t. We can’t cross any lines.

MC: Maybe you can. Think on it, okay? Gotta go. Gonna keep my eyes peeled for another jewel.

[Miraculer left chatroom 2]

[Ladybug switched to chatroom 3]

LB: Chaton?

[12:15pm]

[Chat Noir entered chatroom 3]

CN: Milady, is something wrong?

LB: No, no…

CN: Is there a…job? Now?

LB: No!

CN: Then?

LB: Can I not just join the chatroom to chat?

CN: Of course you can. It’s always lovely to “chat” with you. 

LB: walked right into that one.

CN: It’s just…

LB: what?

CN: You never join the chatroom during the day. Just wondering if something had changed?

LB: nope.

[12:17pm] LB: You know what, I’m gonna go.

CN: NO! Wait!

LB: what is it?

CN: Let’s play a game.

LB: ok

CN: Really?

LB: You work so hard to get the girl to talk to you and now you’re questioning it?

CN: no, no, I would never.

LB: What’s the game, Kitty?

CN: Two truths and a lie.

LB: Chat…no personal info…

CN: Of course not. I just want to know you, just as a person. No strings attached.

Marinette pulled her hands away from the keyboard on her phone. No strings attached. What did that mean?

LB: Fine. You start.

CN: 1. I have two siblings. 2. I like video games.

LB: that’s only two ;)

CN: 3…My mom is really sick.

LB: I’m so sorry.

CN: You have to guess. Them’s the rules.

LB: hmm…you’ve always struck me as an attention-seeker in a big family, but I think the second one is true, and I don’t think you’d lie about the last one…All seem true to me.

CN: actually, I’m an only child.

LB: I’m sorry about your mom, chat.

CN: me too.

LB: is your dad supportive?

CN: let’s not talk about him.

LB: im sorry. Maybe we should play something else?

CN: no chance you’re getting out of this. It’s your turn, beautiful

LB: Fine. 1. I’m an only child. 2. I’m a really good baker. 3. I hate fashion.

CN: three. Three for sure. You designed your costume for Ladybug. You told me, remember?

She had told him. It had been what they had been talking about right before…the Incident.

LB: ah, right! I, uh, forgot.

CN: you’re an only child too?

LB: Yep.

CN: I’m sorry.

LB: what for?

CN: it can be hard.

LB: oh chaton, I didn’t know you were having such a tough time. I’m lucky to have my parents be so supportive.

CN: must be nice.

Marinette resisted the urge to invite him over to her house and let him stay forever. She should know better, after everything they’d been through. He wasn’t hers to keep, his ears weren’t hers to pet, his hair wasn’t hers to run her fingers through. He was a mystery with his own personal life, just like she was. She lowered her hand to the touchscreen again.

LB: your turn

CN: 1. I love pizza. 2. I’m hot enough to be a model. 3. I’m in love with a beautiful girl.

LB: definitely number two.

CN: Hey! You’ve seen me in person.

LB: exactly

CN: I hate pizza actually. The smell of cheese makes me nauseated.

LB: big word

CN: so we’re not going to talk about the third one?

LB: my turn.

CN: ookay.

LB: 1. I love pizza. 2. I can’t ride motorcycles. 3. I’m in love with someone else, Chat.

CN: who

LB: you didn’t even guess!

CN: you need to stop giving me easy ones. Two is the lie. You can ride motorcycles.

LB: How’d you know that!

CN: you just…seem like you can. Who’s the guy?

LB: no one. He doesn’t even know I exist.

CN: that’s his fault. You’re incredible.

LB: what do I say? That I’m ladybug, one of the miraculer team members?

CN: if it were me and you said that, I’d be head over heels for you, milady.

Marinette felt her hands shake. This was why she should never have let Miraculer talk her into this. Talking to Chat. What was she thinking?

“Marinette!”

Alya was calling her over. She couldn’t stand in the corner of the cafeteria answering chatroom messages for the next hour, now could she?

CN: milady? You there?

LB: sorry, something’s come up. I have to go.

CN: did I scare you

LB: not at all, but…you can’t love me, chat. You don’t know me.

CN: I do.

LB: you can’t. I’m not ladybug in real life, chaton.

CN: I think you sell yourself short.

LB: see you, kitty. Let’s do this again sometime.

[Ladybug left chatroom 3]

CN: Maybe over dinner?

Chapter Text

She swore she’d never recall this day. She swore she’d delete it from her mind and act like it had never even happened.

But here she was again, in bed at 3 am, staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts racing with images of Chat. That obnoxious, know-it-all, loyal, charming, ridiculous…

It had been their twentieth heist together. While preparing for it in their chatroom, Chat had joked about celebrating, and she had rolled her eyes. But she had allowed herself to smile, all by herself in her room.

LB: You’re not funny.

CN: and now that I know that you’re such a Disney fan….Disney-themed celebration?

LB: you have no proof!

CN: you paused last time I made a Disney pun. I know, sweetheart

LB: we almost got caught on that window ledge! I was listening for guards following us

CN: likely story

[10:11pm] CN: LB? you asleep?

LB: sorry, I dropped a sewing needle on the ground and it takes forever to find those on a rug

CN: you sew?

LB: I made my costume!

CN: wow! well, isn’t that sewwww impressive

LB: no.

But she laughed to herself. No one would know, if she didn’t roll her eyes at Chat’s jokes anymore. No one would know if she found her mystery partner intriguing, if she laughed at his silly grin, if she watched his fingers fly across the keyboard in admiration instead of a neutral stare, if she now imagined his masked face instead of Adrien’s in her daydreams.

No one would know.

She returned to her phone.

LB: no party!

CN: we’ll see about that

LB: and this bug needs her beauty sleep. good night, chaton!

CN: sweet dreams, my lady!

No one would know.

Until a knock came at her window.

She jumped in her seat, her phone slipping out of her hands from when she had been messaging with Chat. He had just logged off, after adding that he might scope out the location beforehand, and she silently appreciated his dedication.

Shaking her head to dislodge thoughts of him, she walked over to her window and peered out, but she was only greeted by her reflection. What had that noise been? Perhaps a bird. Staring out for another moment longer, she noticed something odd about her eyes in the window’s dark reflection. Were they…glowing green? A trick of the light, perhaps?

The eyes widened, and suddenly, she realized she was staring at Chat Noir. In the flesh, as if she had summoned him with her thoughts.

“Ah!” She jumped away from the window, fingers clenching as she reached for a weapon that wasn’t belted at her side. She wasn’t Ladybug right now. What on earth was Chat doing here?

She took a closer look at him. He was dressed in his all-black leather uniform, his bandana covering the lower half of his face as usual. For the first time, Marinette noted that he looked dangerous. She had always seen him as her silly Kitty, but looking at him now while she was defenseless, she realized that he was a criminal. What kinds of activities did he partake in when he wasn’t breaking into high-security firms with her?

Seeing that she hadn’t backed away or called the police, Chat’s face transformed into a smile, and he gestured to her window again. What was he asking?

She grabbed a baseball bat with one hand and unlocked the window with the other. “What on earth—”

“Well, hello there, lovely Princess. Thank you for gracing me with your armed presence.”

“Gracing you—” she fumed.

“I’m a bit lost, you see,” he continued, seemingly oblivious to her fury.

“A bit—who are you?” she asked again, waving the bat threateningly, trying to play the part of the defensive civilian. “And what are you doing on my roof?”

“I’m just—”

“And why are you laughing at me?”

Chat, in fact, looked as if he were about to burst into laughter; although his bandana hid the lower half of his face, his eyes were crinkled at the corners. “I’m not laughing, my dear. This is my serious face.” He pretended to school his expression, but Marinette knew that if he wanted to truly hide his emotions, he would have no issues doing so.

She raised her eyebrows. “Is it?”

His eyes continued to laugh at her. “It’s just that…you aren’t what I was expecting.”

She frowned, glaring at him, but she lowered her baseball bat. “Oh, sorry, what were you expecting when you trespassed into my home and made demands?”

Ignoring her question, Chat leaned against the window, one arm braced against the side of the casing, looking for all the world like a guy leaning against a crowded bar, ready to flirt. “You know, despite your baseball bat, you aren’t all that scared of me.”

She crossed her arms. “You’re not going to hurt me. Murderers don’t knock and ask to be let in.”

He gave her a faux clap. “Very good.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to hit him with the bat. “So, what, are you a robber? What are you even here to take?”

He straightened up. “I’m not. Didn’t you hear me? I’m lost.”

“You’re…lost?” she asked, looking him up and down.

He winked at her. “Like what you see?”

She frowned. “Don’t flirt with me.” Then, she hesitated. Why couldn’t he flirt with her? She wasn’t Ladybug right now. Whatever they did, it wouldn’t matter.

He sensed her hesitation. “You sure, Princess? I’m quite good at it.”

Clearly, this was proof that he was just a flirt. He wasn’t serious about his mock-feelings for Ladybug. “How are you so sure? Have a lot of practice?”

His eyes crinkled again. “Let’s just say I haven’t gotten any complaints so far.”

She frowned, trying to hide her own smile. How easy their banter was when she didn’t have to protect her identity! “Ah, so you are the kind of guy who flirts with everyone,” Marinette concluded, smirking.

She was expecting a witty retort, but instead, she saw him blush. “I—I was just—”

She sighed, shifting her weight. “What do you want, chaton?”

“Chaton?” he echoed, eyes wide. Marinette cursed internally when she realized that “chaton” was the nickname that Ladybug used for Chat. “What—”

Marinette quickly tried to rectify her mistake. “I—I mean, you’re dressed with cat ears, so I just thought—”

He nodded vigorously, seeming desperate to change the subject. “No, of course, I mean—I’m—one of those—I just—”

“You’re a Miraculer team member,” blurted out Marinette. “Aren’t you?” she added hastily. Why on earth had she said that?

He looked shocked again. “I—” Then, he smiled. “Something like that. And I’m looking for something.” He looked her up and down, leaning back against the window again. “And maybe I’ve found it.”

A beat.

“That was bad,” Marinette replied.

He tilted his head like a cat. “But you were charmed. Go on, admit it.”

“Doubtful, chaton.” She rubbed her forehead in frustration. “And you shouldn’t have told me that you know Miraculer. You can’t tell me.”

He shrugged. “I trust you. For some reason.”

“How much is your trust worth?”

He stared back at her steadily, and she felt her breath catch. “Everything.”

She tried for a lighthearted tone. “But now, you put me in danger.”

His eyes flashed. “I won’t let you come to any harm. Just—please—” He unfolded a piece of paper. “I need your help.”

She read the name aloud. “You want to go here?” She let her surprise filter through. This was not their meet-up location or the location of their heist. This was…something else entirely. She felt her positive assumptions about Chat Noir fade, and her apprehension grow. Was this some kind of a prank?

He nodded. “I have to make a quick stop on my way elsewhere, and it’s hard to navigate when you’re walking on rooftops.”

Little did he know, she knew almost as well as he did. “Well, I—I don’t often walk on rooftops, but I live about two blocks away from there.” She gave him brief instructions.

He nodded, carefully folding up the paper again. “Thank you. Enjoy your evening.” He began to turn away from her window.

She had to know more. She had to push him.

Marinette leaned in again. “That place? It’s right next to my school.”

He did a double-take. “Is it?” He studied the paper again. “Which school?”

She told him the name. “It’s pretty great.” She waited a moment before adding, “Don’t rob it.”

He grinned at her, and she was surprised. This was his real smile. The one that she as Ladybug had only seen a few times before, and never so easily. “Don’t count on it.”

His smile touched at her heart, speeding its pace. The two continued to stare at each other as the wind whistled through the half-open window, rustling Marinette’s hair and Chat’s cat ears.

Slowly, Chat began to turn away, but Marinette reached through the window and seized his wrist, gripping it tightly. “I have to know something.”

He raised an eyebrow, looking unworried about how she had him imprisoned him her grasp. “What is it?”

“Why are you going to a toy shop?”

He winked. “If I told you it was for something awful and criminal, would you believe me?”

She intensified her stare. “Chat.”

“Fine.” He looked away, almost embarrassed. “It’s for a gift.”

“You’re going to rob a toy store to get a gift for a kid? Doesn’t that seem like bad karma?” she asked, surprised. Chat had seemed too young to have a kid and too old to have a kid sibling, but perhaps she had misjudged him.

He smiled again, but this time, his smile was not directed at her. He looked off to the side, as if embarrassed by the depth of his emotion. “It’s not for a kid. It’s for a…friend.”

“A friend?”

“She loves Disney.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “She does?”

He nodded, his eyes distant but fond. “She does,” he confirmed.

“What is your friend like?”

He sighed. “She’s—enigmatic. But the most incredible person I’ve ever met.”

“Do you like Disney?”

He looked up again, surprised. “I really didn’t think I gave off that impression in this outfit.”

Marinette blushed. “No, just…you seem…so sure she likes it. I wonder how you found out unless you also like it.”

Chat smiled. “It’s why I make so many Disney jokes and puns when I’m around her.”

Marinette was taken aback. She hadn’t thought that Chat was putting on any sort of special front for her. “You change your behavior for her?”

Chat rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous hand. “Not exactly. It’s more that I just let that side of me that no one else sees filter through.”

“For her?”

He nodded again.

Marinette’s eyes widened, and Chat caught her reaction. He smiled at her. “Whatever you’re thinking…yes.”

Marinette raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”

He met her gaze head-on. “Yes.”

“You love—”

“Yes.”

“Are you—”

“Yes.”

“You could take a moment to—”

“No.”

Silence.

Marinette felt like she couldn’t breathe. She wanted to ask more, but she knew she couldn’t. As far as Chat knew, she was a pesky girl with a weird trust for criminals at midnight. That was already too much information for him. Any more, and he might start to get suspicious. Her Kitty was plenty smart.

Chat tipped his chin down at her, expression closed off and unreadable again. She wanted to touch his face, force his lips to curve into another smile. But he was moving away from her. Away from her window, away from her hands, away from her…lips. Right before he let himself fall back down the side of the building, he looked at her over his shoulder and saluted.

She couldn’t even muster the strength to wave back. She scarcely remembered to change for their meeting that night.

Hands still shaking from their earlier encounter, she managed to dress herself. Lowering the mask onto her face, she frowned at the mirror in her room.

She had to know. She had to go tonight and find out what type of gift he would get her. If he would get something cheesy and romantic, she’d know that his feelings weren’t real. If he got her something to prove he understood her, then…well…

She shook her head. Nothing would happen. Nothing would happen either way.

She landed on the rooftop they had planned to meet on, her hands on her hips. “Chat Noir?” It felt weird to call him chaton now.

A shape moved out of the shadows of a nearby chimney and into the golden light of a streetlamp. “My lady.” He bowed. “I have something for you.”

Walking closer, he held out a gift bag.

A smile played across her lips. “I thought I said no celebrating our partnership.”

“Happy birthday, then.”

She laughed. “You don’t know my birthday.”

The light glinted off of his eyes. “One of these days must be it. Why not today?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to convey annoyance. “We can’t do today. We can’t celebrate each other’s birthdays. We can’t do gifts.”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

She opened her mouth and he sighed, shoving the bag forward. “Just take it, Bug.”

She took the bag from him, trying not to let their hands brush, but she could still feel the heat of his hands through his gloves. “A toy store?”

He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Open it.”

She reached in, trying to keep her expression neutral, and pulled out a fluffy Nick Wilde stuffed animal. She stared down at it, before raising her eyebrows at him.

He grinned. “Now, Mr. Wilde can give you his patented seductive glare from up close.”

She couldn’t help it. She smacked him with the stuffed animal before letting herself laugh. “You’re not funny.”

He ducked her blow easily, catching her wrist and pulling her closer. “Sure I am.”

They stared at one another, breaths mingling.

“There’s something else in there,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“W-what?” she asked.

“You sew, right?” he asked, toeing the rooftop nervously. “I didn’t know exactly what would help, but…”

She rummaged around in the bag and pulled out red material. From the feel alone, she could tell that it was expensive.

She weighed it in her hand experimentally, before looking back up at him in accusation. “You didn’t get this from a toy store.”

He gave her a smile. “No.”

She felt her breath catch. “No.” Where had he gotten the material on such short notice? What had he done to get it?

He had bought her gifts, he had smiled, he had made her laugh. What was the harm? She was an adult. She could pull off a one-night stand with a random friend.

They weren’t even friends. They were colleagues. Secret agents, even.

She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in.

He hesitated for only a moment before he took her face in his hands and kissed her back with a grunt of surprise, tilting her backward.

But she wouldn’t let him have the upper hand for long. Grabbing his wrists, she slammed him against a chimney on the rooftop, forcing his head back against the brick. He scarcely had time for a lazy smile before she kissed him again.

He dropped his hands to his waist and tugged her closer into his embrace, pressing kisses onto her neck.

Before they could continue, however, she pushed him away, panting.

He lifted his hands and backed away immediately, looking guilty. “I’m sorry, I—”

She grabbed his collar again.

He froze.

She shouldn’t be doing this. She shouldn’t be doing this. But she looked up at him, eyes dark. “Just for tonight, chaton.”

She felt his gaze on her as he mustered up a wistful smile.

“Just for tonight, my Lady.”

------

The next night was their heist.

He was smiling at her when she landed. His eyes assessed her as she unrolled the map and knelt down on the rooftop. Instead of standing next to her, he stood behind her, grinning.

She tried to ignore his breath, hot on the back of her neck, as he studied her latest map over his shoulder.

“And that’s the TOI,” she concluded, hoping that her voice sounded steady.

He reached around her waist and pointed at a spot on the map. “And this?”

Had his arm always felt so strong? Her voice shook this time for sure. “W-What?”

He turned to face her, although she refused to turn and look at him. His breath tickled her ear as he leaned closer. “The lighthouse symbol. You didn’t explain it.” He paused, then smiled. “You all right, Bug?”

She wanted to smack him. How dare he! She cleared her throat instead and elbowed him. To her surprise, he took a step back. “I’m fine. And that’s a guard tower.”

He whistled. “This is going to be tough.”

She couldn’t help it; she turned to look at him. “Not impossible.”

He smiled down at her, his gaze intent. She loved it when he looked at her like that, like layers were stripped away. Like there was no veneer between him and the world whenever he stared at her. Like his look of devotion was the most real thing about him.

“Never,” he said. “Nothing is impossible for us.”

She spun around before her breath could catch.

The rest of the night was torture.

-------

Two days later, she couldn’t take it anymore.

She had to have her Chat Noir fix.

10:15 pm [Ladybug enters chatroom 5]

LB: chat noir?

10:16pm [Chat Noir enters chatroom 5]

CN: what’s up, my lady?

LB: I need you.

CN: for a job?

LB: I just need you

CN: on my way

LB: rendezvous point 3

CN: the most romantic spot in all of paris

She chose to ignore that.

Three days after that, a notification popped up on her phone.

CN: my lady?

LB: yes?

CN: I know these are just hook ups

LB: yes

CN: I know that.

LB: good

CN: But…not to me

LB: …what?

CN: I have to be honest, my Lady.

LB: about what?

CN: I have feelings for you. I really really like you.

LB: oh no

CN: Will you maybe go on a date with me sometime?

LB: chaton…

CN: oh

CN: okay

CN: then if I may ask…Why did you kiss me?

CN: it felt…romantic. Especially the first night.

LB: this was all a bad idea.

CN: no, no! I don’t think so! Im sorry I asked. It’s none of my business

LB: I’m so sorry

CN: You have nothing to apologize for

LB: Our relationship will remain strictly professional from here on out

[Ladybug leaves chatroom 5]

CN: ladybug, wait!

CN: okay of course no problem.

CN: as you wish

Chapter Text

So now she was stuck.

She’d hooked up with him. He’d confessed feelings for her. He knew the power he had over her. She turned him down. And now, they’d stolen a pair of earrings worth millions of euros together, their fates entwined.

And she had no idea who he was.

Sometimes, only when she was bored, mind you, she’d think back to their stolen moments and wonder at the fine material of his gloves and fear that he was rich and this was all a ploy to catch her. She think about how his eyes changed color and how they never stayed the same shade of green. She’d wish that she could ask him what perfume he wore, just so that she could make sure to avoid it in future.

And among those moments of weakness, this confusion, and this frustration, came new information about another set of jewels for another heist.

This time, it was a cat-themed ring. The counterpart to the earrings they’d stolen from the Mayor’s safe.

And oddly enough, the house that the ring resided in belonged to acclaimed fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. He wasn’t known to collect art, but Marinette surmised that he must keep the ring as an inspiration for his design work, perhaps.

She sighed, and ignoring the lesson of the day in Madame Bustier’s class, she subtly pulled up the schematics of the Agreste house on her tablet instead. Her informant had provided her with a crude sketch, but the exact blueprints were not publicly available, as they often wouldn’t be. But hacking into the architect’s database would be no problem, especially with Chat’s hacking skills. Just another reason to value him — as a hacker, his smooth ability to break into the architect’s files was priceless. Not many cryptographers could parse the code necessary to steal a single file and weave back and forth among enemy lines without getting caught. Before she’d met Chat, she used to physically break into the offices to steal the blueprints, which was a slightly more dangerous and costly endeavor than simply asking Chat to hack into the files. She’d ask him now, just to give both him and her enough time to plan out the final details of the heist.

As she pulled out her phone to type a message in the chatroom, a whiny voice dragged her attention back to the classroom.

“Madame Bustier, can I be excused? It’s just been SUCH a long day, and my hair is a mess!” Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulders with a pout, as Sabrina patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. “I just can’t be expected to stay in class right now.”

Marinette resisted the urge to slam her face directly onto her desk, and exchanged annoyed glances with Alya, before she continued reaching for her phone.

Then, another voice interrupted her thoughts: “C’mon Chloe, you know you don’t really want to leave. And besides, your hair looks great!”

This time, Marinette looked up cautiously, and she began to smile as the wheels turned in her mind.

Adrien Agreste lived in the Agreste mansion, didn’t he?

Now, all she needed was a reason to join him.

And maybe, she could just pull off the heist on her own. No late night mansion visit to toy with her emotions. No more chatroom messages that turned flirtatious and genuine all at once. No need for Chat at all.

There was just one, slightly awkward problem.

She hated Adrien Agreste.

——

It all started with the gum, and it ended with an umbrella.

“I don’t have a lot of friends,” he had said, eyes gleaming, as he handed over his umbrella.

She had smiled and nodded, but in her head, she couldn’t help but think to herself: “No surprises there.”

She wasn’t going to fall for his pity party story.

And she certainly wasn’t going to keep his umbrella. She had tossed it in the garbage bin at the nearest opportunity.

Now, she tolerated him, and she did her best to hide her obvious grimaces whenever he spoke up on Chloe’s behalf or tried to get into her good graces. And he tried a lot. He bought her gifts (lame), came to her birthday party (awkward), and gave her his spot in the Mecha Strike tournament (peer pressure).

Okay, fine, she didn’t try that hard to hide her grimaces. But at this point, their relationship had cooled. She had screwed up her courage and pretended that his efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed. It wasn’t hard, considering that she was an excellent liar and a wanted criminal.

But now…she was going to need his help. And using Adrien to get to the Agreste house would require a plan. Luckily, she was Ladybug. Of course she had a plan.

Step one: Greet the Suspect.

“Hey Adrien.”

Adrien nearly tripped over his own shoes. “Uh, hey, Marinette! What’s up? How was your—“

Step two: Nail The Casual Conversation.

“Oh, my week’s been good. How about yours?”

“That wasn’t what I was going to ask —“ Marinette tried to keep her smile at full wattage when she heard that — “but mine’s been great! I was going to ask how your night was — you don’t look like you’ve been getting enough sleep and I just wanted to make sure you were okay?”

Ugh, he way overstepped his boundaries, but he had unintentionally given her the perfect opening for step three: the Hook, Featuring Emotional Vulnerability.

“Oh, Adrien, to be honest — I am failing math!” She buried her face into her hands to hide her smile and managed to make a noise that could resemble a stifled sob. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I keep studying and studying, and I actually was hoping I could hear your secrets for how you keep doing well in class?”

“To be honest, I think it’s just luck that I’ve learned a lot of it already from homeschooling, so…but I wouldn’t worry! You’re so good at everything else that I’m sure you’ll catch up!”

Step 4: The Line

“Yes, all right.” She made sure her smile wavered and dropped and, more importantly, that he was watching her reaction. “Thanks for your help, I guess.”

She watched with carefully hidden glee as his brows furrowed, meeting in the middle where a wrinkle was.

Time for Step 5: Trust the Process.

She began to turn away and walk slowly back down the hallway, and she waited.

“Marinette!”

She spun around so quickly that she nearly fell, affording him the perfect moment to steady her. He caught her wrist, and she did her best to smile up at him, doe-eyed.

“Marinette, why don’t I tutor you?”

Step 6: The Sinker.

Marinette turned up the wattage on her smile. “That would be perfect! Your place, tomorrow?” 

He was already nodding. “Tomorrow at 4 works for me, but maybe we could use your—“

“Thanks Adrien, you’re the best!” She turned on her heel and hightailed it out of the hallway.

Phase one was complete.

——

Umbrella held high, she stood at the gates of the Agreste mansion and whistled to herself.

This was no mansion. It was a fortress.

Security lined the walls — barbed wire, point-tipped iron bars, and a sign that said “KEEP OUT”. But her trained eyes catalogued the security that the Agreste’s didn’t want anyone to know about — the carefully concealed hatches for security cameras, the motion detectors, and the heat sensors.

Monsieur Agreste wanted to keep out the dumb criminals and the smart ones, too. She smiled to herself. Good thing she had what he didn’t expect — his son. She tried to hide her smug smile. Not even Chat could so easily get into this mansion. And, now, she didn’t need him. He was a hacker. Hackers were a dime a dozen, right?

She checked her phone again, making sure she had the right address. The only piece missing now was the golden boy heir of this horrifying place.

She took a step closer, knowing that she would be triggering the motion sensors. Sure enough, a camera slid out of a hidden hatch and aimed its laser eye at her. “Outsiders are not allowed.”

It wasn’t an automated voice. The Agrestes had plenty of money for high-tech and high-paying security, she surmised. “I’m here with an invitation from Adrien. I go to his school.” She flashed her winningest smile at the camera.

A pause.

Sweat beaded on her brow. Maybe she shouldn’t count her chickens yet. Did they somehow know her voice, her size? Had they matched her with one of the most prolific criminals in the city?

“You may enter. But be warned, Adrien is only available for 47 minutes. After that, he has a Chinese lesson. You will not be wasting his time, Mademoiselle Marinette. This is the only tutoring session you receive here.”

The message was clear. She had one shot at the ring. She squared her shoulders and smiled again, willing her gaze to be guileless and boring. “Of course! I am honored that Adrien even offered to help me.”

The camera retreated back into the wall without another word, and the black gates of the Agreste mansion swung open.

—

“I finally have a friend, Plagg!” Adrien held his cat in the air. “Someone who might like me enough to hang out with me outside of school.” He paused. “Although it’s just for math. You know, I thought Marinette was good at math. She’s good at all her subjects.”

He adjusted his voice to match what he thought his cat would sound like, if it could talk. A dismissive, bored, high-pitched, nasally yowl. “Maybe she’s just good at putting up facades!”

“Or maybe, she’s desperately in love with you!” He replied back, laughing. Then, suddenly, he paused.

Oh, god.

What if?

He catalogued all the clues in his mind. She could barely talk to him. She only stole glances at him. He recalled the moment when he caught her checking the news the day after his heist — the way she had blushed, the way she had avoided his glance.

It all fit.

He sat up, horrified, letting his cat run out of his arms with a disgruntled purr.

“I gotta let down the nicest girl in school,” he groaned. “Cuz I’m in love with Ladybug. And I can’t tell her I’m in love with Ladybug because I’m not Chat Noir. Although I am.” He pressed his face into his hands and groaned.

A floorboard squeaked, and Adrien readied himself, thankful that he had set the trap to prepare himself as Natalie burst into his room. “Adrien, your friend that you mentioned is here. You have 46 minutes to spend with her.” She bent a severe glance upon him. “This won’t happen again, correct? You cannot invite strangers to your home.”

He shouldn’t talk back. He wouldn’t talk back. “Yes, Natalie.”

She turned and walked out. “Marinette!” She called.

A breathless voice replied, “Coming, Madame!”

Natalie retreated out of the room just as Marinette burst in, her cheeks flushed. “Adrien, your house is beautiful!”

Adrien stood up and tried to fix his hair. Why was he trying to impress her again? Oh, right, so that he could let her down. “Uh, I, yeah! Thanks!”

“Your room’s so big, too!” She reached out and flicked one of the handles on the foosball table. “And fun.”

He forced a laugh. “Yeah, most of this wasn’t really my idea, but the basketball hoop and the table were.”

She smiled. “Does your dad hang out with you a lot in here?”

He felt his smile slip. “Oh, no, not really. He’s, you know, busy.”

She frowned. “That sounds like a cover-up.”

He shrugged. “It is what it is. Should we get to the math?” Maybe if he kept this visit short, she’d catch the hint.

No luck. “Oh, but I’d love a tour! Didn’t you learn any manners, posh boy? You’re supposed to dazzle your guest before you force them to learn math.”

He raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit like Chat, suddenly. “Dazzle my guest? Wasn’t my presence enough?” Oh, no, that sounded flirty.

She smirked, before picking a random book off of the shelf and dangling it in front of him. “Anime?”

He reached to snatch the book out of her hands, but she laughed and put it back.

“Too late for me to unsee that, monsieur model.”

“I--uh—“

“And, what, pray tell, is this?” She pulled out a hidden stack of CDs from behind one of his shelves. It was one of his Barbie movie CDs, saved for Rainy Days Only.

“That’s, uh, a gift, for, uhm—“

“And—“

He sighed. “What will get you to stop poking around my house?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Nothing will stop me from being curious. I would, however, accept a glass of water before this math torture.”

He laughed, despite his intentions to shoo her out. “Can I distract you, then, with a tour, my Lady?” He offered her his arm. She took it with a grin.

“I would love nothing more.”

—

Marinette, meanwhile, was contemplating her next moves as quickly as she could.

Adrien clearly was trying to remove her from the premises as fast as possible. Why? Natalie had his life scheduled down to the minute, which was a bit weird, but weirder was Adrien’s willingness to go along with it. Didn’t he need a break? Or did he have a secret life where he got one?

Gabriel was nowhere to be found. Using her equipment (stashed away in her pockets) on the walls of the house, she had not seen any body heat profiles anywhere in the house except for herself, Natalie, one security guard who was absolutely enormous but easily distractible, and Adrien. She had made sure Natalie was faced forward as she explored the front hall and used her equipment briefly, but she was certain that Natalie wouldn’t need to turn to know Marinette’s every movement. Security cameras were everywhere, and she had to be careful to avoid them and to seem natural, even if she were caught. Her coat pockets were full of gadgets, each one customized to look like a phone.

She needed more information.

“The cat ring is in Gabriel’s private study,” had been the message the Miraculer had sent her.

She needed to know where Gabriel’s study was, but without Gabriel in the house, her original plan to locate his study, distract him, steal the ring, and replace it with a replica, was completely lost. She needed a new plan.

Clutching Adrien’s arm as tightly as she could, she babbled on about the design of the house. “I love the geometric pattern on your floors. The lights are so beautiful! Your ceiling is so, uh, high.” Okay, fine, a bit of a stretch — she was a fashion designer, not an interior designer, after all, but she was doing her best, dammit. She wanted to make her curiosity in his house seem natural, and to be fair, she was doing a terrible job.

Adrien finally interrupted her and put her out of her misery. “You seem to really like this house.”

Thanks, Adrien. “It seems like the perfect place to inspire a lot of designs. I like to design as a hobby,” she explained, leaning conspirationally toward him.

He subtly tried to redirect her attention. “You know, uh, my father actually designed our house himself.”

Interesting. “Oh, really? Where did he get his inspiration from?”

Adrien hesitated. “He says from my mum and all the clothing and jewelry she used to wear. She always liked fun patterns, apparently.”

“I’m—I’m so sorry. That sucks,” she said, surprising herself with her own honest reaction. “That sucks so much.”

“It’s okay,” he said, as if automatically.

She tightened her grip on his elbow, forcing them to a standstill. She felt for the boy, all alone in this fortress, ruled by a miserable assistant and a distant father. “No. It’s not. That fucking sucks.”

He blinked. “Oh—“ Then he smiled, a slow, sweet smile, that seemed to reach inside her chest and speed up the pace of her heart. “You know, you’re right. It does suck. Thanks, Mari.”

Mari. She liked that name on his lips. “Uh, I—you were saying about your house. And how it was inspired by your mom’s, uh, jewelry?” She gestured vaguely to the space around them as they descended the staircase.

Adrien was clearly walking them toward a room that Marinette guessed was the kitchen or dining room, but then he stopped, and turned. He gave her a grin. “You know, I could show you them.”

She nearly squealed with excitement, but managed to control her voice. “What? What do you mean?”

His grin only widened, and a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes, reminding her for a moment of someone else.

Somewhere else.

How did it always come back to Chat?

“Let me show you.”

He took her hand and dashed over to the doors opposite the ones that they had originally been walking toward and threw them open.

Inside, dozens of rings, necklaces, and jewelry sparkled. And in the center of the room, before a pedestal topped with a supersized tablet, sat a clear, glass box. And inside that box was the black cat ring, its gemstone paw prints glittering at her. Taunting her.

It was then that Marinette realized, she was fucked.

—

Marinette kicked her trapdoor closed in frustration, then sat down on her balcony to sulk. She whipped out her diary and jotted down a few notes.

“Reasons why I am fucked” she wrote at the top of the page.

“Number One: Adrien has a pretty smile.”

She crossed that one out and flipped to a new page. What the hell?

“Number One: The house is a fortress.” She hadn’t been in that house for longer than an hour, and every time she’d turned, she had to jot down a new security system to research. Tempura heat sensors, X ray diffraction, white noise generator and light switch, Slunt motion sensors. The list went on and on.

“Number Two: The ring is in a clear glass box.” Clear glass box meant it was valuable, Gabriel knew it, and that he could afford to display it in such a fashion. It must be booby-trapped until kingdom come.

“Number Three: The ring has personal significance.” Adrien had gone on to explain that every single piece of jewelry in the room had been worn by his mother. He had looked so loving and affectionate, for a woman he had scarcely gotten the chance to truly know. He looked so much like her too. He had shown her pictures. Essentially, if it went missing, someone would notice quickly. And likely, a crude replica would be noticed almost immediately. The sparkling gemstones set in the black obsidian caught one’s eye as soon as one stepped in the room.

“Number Four: Gabriel is unpredictable. And quiet.”

They hadn’t even noticed him enter. One moment, she and Adrien had been staring at each other (what?) over the top of the box holding the cat ring. Next, she had been grabbed by the enormous security guard and thrown out on her ear, before her 24 minutes remaining had been used up.

“What’s this?”

Suddenly, the notebook was snatched out of her hands by a gloved claw, and her mouth was covered by another gloved hand, her shriek muffled.

“Number One: Adrien Agreste has a nice smile?” Said a smooth, familiar voice. “Now, why is that crossed out?” He laughed, and tossed the book back at her, releasing her from his hold.

She threw the book back at him, furious, and hated him more when the now all-too-familiar Chat Noir dodged the hit with ease, before grinning back at her with the same lips that she had spent the past weeks trying to forget.

In her other hand, she crumpled up her real list and thrust it into a zipped pocket. Chat could NOT be allowed to see this list.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She shouted at him, trying to regain her balance. “Aren’t you a wanted felon?”

He shrugged artfully, settling himself into one of her plush chairs on the balcony. “Felon? Yes. Wanted? Hmmm…maybe after today, I think I’ve realized I might be.” He looked back at her again, another smile curling his lips.

She wanted to throw something again, but her notebook was far out of her reach. She settled for crossing her arms and glaring at him. “What do you mean?”

He kicked his boots onto her balcony railing. “Nothing. Hey, can I get your advice on something?”

She wanted to laugh. “From me, a literal stranger, who could call the police on you at any moment?” 

He spread his hands, as if to show that they were empty. Marinette knew better though. She knew where his weapons were concealed. She had divested him of his weapons. And his clothing. She tried desperately to delete that from her mind, as he began to speak again.

“Go ahead, Princess. Call. But I’ll be long gone by the time you do. And maybe the next time I visit…I won’t be as…forgiving.”

She needed to remember that right now, she had no power over him. She was completely at his mercy when he was in the suit, and she was not. She was unarmed and defenseless.

She looked down at her shoes — pink bunny rabbits.

Great. She couldn’t even run or climb.

“Are you seriously threatening me? Last time you came here, you were bringing a toy to your lady love. Didn’t she like your present?”

He slumped down in the chair, frowning. She’d never seen him frown like that, in all the time they’d worked together. “No,” he finally said into the silence. “No, I don’t think so. I thought she did, at first. But now, she hasn’t ever brought up…those nights.”

“Those nights?” She echoed.

“Can I ask you for some advice?” He persisted.

She smiled. “You really need this advice, then, huh?”

He sighed. “I don’t have anyone else to ask.”

Her eyes widened. “You don’t have anyone else to ask but some strange girl you’ve met once.”

He swung his bright green gaze on her. He was wearing the false contacts, she saw, the ones that made his eyes unnaturally greener, more magnified somehow. “We’ve met before.”

Her breath caught in her chest. “What?”

“We’ve met before. Me in the suit. You, about to fall. You don’t remember?”

She struggled to come up with a memory that didn’t involve her being Ladybug. Did he know? Had this all been a ruse? It would make sense. Horrible, horrible sense. “Uh…I—no?”

“I was a kid. You were, too.” He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back, as if looking at the stars. But she recognized the stillness of his neck. He was trying to gauge her reaction to this news. He was attuned to her movements. Although he looked relaxed, he was anything but. Ironically, this made her more relaxed. She’d seen him look like this a hundred times before.

His face also wore a familiar expression, although she could only see his profile in the moonlight. He was pensive. Thinking. “I was nine,” he said into the night air. “It was your birthday.”

“You were a felon when you were NINE?”

He laughed. “No, no! But weren’t you wondering why I wore this suit?”

“Cuz it fit the Miraculer team’s theme?” She asked.

He laughed again, and this time, she caught the crinkle of his eyes and the gleam of his teeth. There it is again, she thought. That smile.

“No. It was because of you. You were swinging on the swing, and you fell off. And I caught you. It was a costume party, and you were a princess, and I was a cat.”

“Shouldn’t you be trying to protect your identity?”

“Well, that’s why I asked if you remembered me.”

She shrugged. “I could be lying.”

He regarded her for a moment, scanning her like one of the cameras on the Agreste property, before shaking his head. “I know you’re not.”

“By staring at me.”

“Yes. I’m good at telling when people are lying to me. I’m not so good, with, uh, any other types of looks.” 

“Looks…of looooove?” She said in a sing-song.

“Shut up.”

She tilted her head before replying. “So, you were a cat at my birthday party.”

He nodded.

“But why are you a cat now?”

He smiled. “You told me I was a hero. You told me I was your hero.”

She blushed. “Then what happened?”

“Nothing. We split up, I moved, I…didn’t really leave my house that much.”

“Did we ever meet again?” 



“Yup,” he added, flexing his hands against her balcony railing. “Here.”

She laughed. “I meant besides that.”

He looked back at her over his shoulder and smiled. “Now, who’s trying to figure out my identity?”

She held up her hands, laughing again. “Guilty as charged.” She let her hands drop, and walked over to stand beside him. The wind glided over her pigtails. For a moment, the only sounds she could hear were the crunch of tires over the city streets and the buzz of the streetlights’ bulbs. 

Finally, she spoke again. “So I called you my hero, and you became a villain?” 

“I’m not a villain, princess. Something much bigger than me is at stake.”

The blood drained from her face, leaving her feeling lightheaded. “W-What? What are you talking about?” She had often wondered about Chat’s motivations for being Chat Noir, but now, she was frightened. He sounded…scared. As if he were warning her.

“Just stay indoors, Mari. Promise me.” He suddenly whirled around and took her hand in his, pressing it to his chest. “Stay out of the way.”

“Of what? You have to tell me.” Her fiery gaze raked over him.

He shook his head. “Promise.”

“No deal.”

He dropped her hand and had jumped over the edge of her balcony before she could even think to call out his name.

Chapter Text

So the tutoring with Adrien had been a failure.

They hadn’t even gotten to do much actual tutoring, but Gabriel’s murderous face and the fear that flashed in Adrien’s eyes had told her everything she’d needed to know.

She wouldn’t be getting in the easy way again. But at least, she’d gotten a chance to case the place, right? Tapping furiously on her phone, she pulled up her own crude diagram of the security schematics she’d managed to catch and the floor plans she’d been able to figure out. Didn’t this house have any secret passageways, any blind spots?

A beep emanated from her laptop. Her Signal app. Chat was logged in.

[CN entered Chatroom 4.]

9:41 pm

CN: you here, LB?

CN: haven’t, uh, heard from you in a while.
CN: I totally get not wanting to see me anymore but

CN: I still want to stay involved with the plans. we should get the rest of the jewels.

CN: LB? Please.

It was the “please” that finally moved her.

[LB entered Chatroom 4.]

LB: sorry…I shouldn’t have spaced on you like that. I haven’t been fair to you.

LB: I’m just…I'm so sorry.

CN: don’t worry about it.

LB: no no…I really mean it, ok? Im sorry

CN: its fine. really.

LB: but okay, yes, chat, I really need you for this next job. Got intel on the…

LB: drumroll please…

CN: *drums fanatically*

LB: …next jewel.

CN: yesssss

LB: it’s a black obsidian ring, with emeralds forming a paw print.

CN: never heard of it?

LB: its the companion jewel to the earrings. the main problem, kitty, is that it’s in the Agreste mansion, and damn…let me tell you…that place is gonna be hard to crack. Even harder than the mayor’s place, I gotta admit.

CN: the Agreste mansion????

LB: yup.

LB: Where Gabriel Agreste and his model boy son live, remember?

LB: I’ve gotten a bit of intel on the place. There isn’t any publicly available info on it, but ive got miraculer working on it.

CN: hang on one sec...parentals are nearby.

CN: Ugh...literally two more months and im outta here…

LB: copy that, lmk when ur back.

LB: dw, u got it chat. Ur an adult, ok?

[CN exited chatroom 4.]

——

The “parental” wasn’t nearby, but Adrien needed a proper few minutes to freak the fuck out. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair and resisted the urge to yank it all out by the root. “What if I went bald, Plagg?” he asked, letting go of his own head to pet Plagg’s as the cat slinked by, purring. “You think then my dad would kick me out, maybe give me the jewels as a parting gift, and I could waltz off into the sunset?”

To be honest, he wasn’t surprised that his father owned mystical jewelry. He was surprised, however, by how much they were worth, based on where they were in the house. Gabriel was not only greedy, but also showy. Why was the ring displayed so beautifully in a room that no one but he saw? And why didn’t he want Adrien near the ring?

Screw Gabriel. He and Ladybug were going to get that ring.

Falling onto his back in his bed, he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “But it’s the Agreste mansion. What am I supposed to tell her? ‘I’m Adrien, so gimme two seconds and I’ll get in trouble for even going to see the jewels or show them to my friends.’ That’s the worst part. I couldn’t even get them for her. We’d have better luck if she broke in, and I did the hacking as Chat.”

He sat up. “Hacking. Hacking as Chat.” Adrien was fucking useless. But Chat…

He logged back in.

[CN entered chatroom 4.]

9:55 pm

LB: ur back! Yay you made it

CN: well u sound purr-fectly happy to see me, hmm??

LB: haha I guess I am :)

Don’t read too much into it, Adrien, he told himself. Shaking his head as if to reset his mind, he settled his fingers back onto the keyboard.

CN: uhhh, yes, well, I realized something.

LB: what?

CN: one of the places I’ve hacked before…it’s Agreste Fashions.

LB: no. freaking. way.

CN: yup. I think I could find a backdoor into Agreste mansion from the fashion company. Gabriel likes to pretend he’s neat and tidy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s funneling money into his own security from the fashion company’s funds.

LB: ur a genius. But how will you get back into the fashion company’s system?

CN: don’t you even worry

LB: ok then I won’t

LB: any sense of timeline?

CN: gimme a week to get access. In the meantime, send me whatever intel you have? And anything that Miraculer finds. Then we can figure out exactly how I should tamper with the system.

LB: perfect. I’ll keep scouting. Here’s what I’ve got so far in terms of schematics. *file attachment*

LB: still pretty crude, but…best I’ve got.

Adrien pulled up the attachment. It was a nearly perfect floor plan of the first and second floors of his house, complete with lists of security features, some of which he hadn’t even known about. How on earth did Ladybug get her hands on this? Had she…been inside his house? Did she know someone who worked here?

CN: wow these are amazing. How on earth did you get all this?

LB: don’t you even worry

CN: ok then I won’t ;)

CN: but LB…once I gain access to the house’s system, I won’t have much time to tamper with the system before agreste finds out. His security team is top-notch, even fur me. And you know I wouldn’t just say that.

LB: honestly that scares me a bit. You really would never admit to anything less than perfection, you arrogant cat.

CN: haha…exactly. So we won’t have much time once I gain access, and even less once I actually do the tampering. Any changes we make, even ones that set up for the initial alarm shut downs, will be wiped out within half an hour, if that, I bet.

LB: that’s a tight window.

LB: but we can make that :)

CN: that’s the ladybug I know

LB: keep me posted, CN.

LB: nighty night.

CN: be on the prowl, though, LB. When u scout, don’t get caught.

LB: I never get caught, chat. cmon

CN: no but milady…Gabriel agreste…he makes people disappear.
LB: what do you mean? Isn’t he just a fashion designer?

CN: I…well…just keep your eyes peeled and you’ll see what I mean.

CN: good night, LB