Appreciating Chat Noir

Chapter Fourteen

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked all around them. They were surrounded! It was time to stop running away and time to face the very visceral problem around them. They stood back-to-back, Chat Noir twirling his baton very quickly, and Ladybug whirling her yoyo; in defense.

The creatures hissed at them, creeping forward.

Ladybug looked around them, trying to find a solution. She quickly spotted a janitor's mop bucket on the ground nearby, full of water, as well as a mop. On the other side of the room was a chair with a sack of flour on it, and she spotted event Crasher holding a pair of sunglasses. She gasped. The item the akuma must be hiding in!

She quickly pondered what would be the best way of gaining access to the special item. Turning to Chat Noir she whispered; "Hey Chat Noir, when I say now, swing your baton, and then run."

"Okay."

She dodged a swinging claw and threw her yoyo, wrapping it around the sack of flour, throwing it in the air in the middle of the group, directly above where she used to be standing. "Now!"

Chat Noir saw the sack and caught on quickly to what Ladybug was referring to. He jumped in the air, extended his baton and swung, hard, exploding the flour all over the group while Ladybug flipped over the group, landing right on the edge of the group by the mop bucket. Chat Noir landed on the other side of the group, waiting for Ladybug to do her thing. She took advantage of the fact that their foes were currently trying to get flour out of their eyes and with all of her might, threw the mop bucket in the air as high as she could. Chat Noir noticed and swung at the mop bucket dumping water all over the group.

"I'll get you for this Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Event Crasher moaned. "All I wanted was to be invited to this stupid party and now you're turning me into your paper mâché project!"

"Maybe next time ask!" Ladybug responded, taking the moment to grab the sunglasses. She broke them in half, waiting for the akuma to come out. Exchanging a nervous glance with Chat Noir the moment she was waiting for never came.

"Crap!"

Chat Noir pointed at the window and made a motion with his head. She nodded and they ran towards the window, jumping out onto the space below, both baton and yoyo spinning to soften their fall, aiming for a large umbrella, covering a food cart, below.

They bounced off of the umbrella, crashing on top of each other on the ground. They got back up and dusted themselves off, turning to look at each other.

"So, it wasn't the sunglasses." Chat Noir said, cutting to the chase.

"No." Ladybug pondered the situation.

"So, what do you think it could be?"

"I- hear me out here, this might be a long shot but I don't think this one is your typical akkuma."

"You think we're fighting an – illusion?"

"Yeah, it just reminds me too much of Lila. Remember when we fought her several years ago? She was able to make illusions."

"So what do you think we should do?"

Ladybug paused for a moment, wracking her brain for ideas. She shook her head. "No, it's too risky." She mumbled to herself. "But it's our only option..."

"What's that?" Chat Noir asked, confused.

She heavily sighed, steadying herself before turning to face him. "We have to go to Hawkmoth's Lair."

"What? Why?" He starred at her, shocked.

She looked over his shoulder, at some trees in the distance. "Notice how we've fought Hawkmoth how many times and we've never once gotten the upper hand? We now have a choice – a risky one of course, but a choice, a chance to finally get the upper-hand over him. I'm afraid if we hesitate any longer to use it, we may not get this chance again. He's getting better at fighting us."

"But we've never done this before, we haven't had to use it. I see what you are saying, but can't we just strategize better, or get better at fighting, or get some extra help...?!" Chat Noir started pacing back and forth, seriously considering this notion.

"I used to think that too. But look at what's been happening. Sure he's messed with public events before, but he messed with the fashion competition, he went to Marinette's house, and don't you think if we have a chance – an actual chance – to defeat him, we should take it?"

His lips lifted up with an unintentional smile. "You know Marinette?"

She looked at him, startled, having forgotten who she was talking to for a moment. "Well, yeah, we're good friends. Why?"

He smiled and looked away. "Oh, it's just that she's, my girlfriend. I didn't know you knew her."

She tried hiding her blush. He referred to her around others as his 'girlfriend'? She didn't know. "

"Chat Noir?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you show me Hawkmoths lair? We need to move quickly." She knew that he was deflecting, hesitating in making a decision. But they couldn't wait any longer.

He sighed. "I-uh, are you sure that's a good idea? You know what might happen..."

She hesitated for only a fraction of a second, knowing that every second counted. "It's worth the risk."

He steadied himself, nodding to reassure the both of them. "Yeah alright. Let's go."

Chat Noir looked at her for reassurance, studying her reaction before they left, for he didn't know if this would change anything for the both of them. She looked really familiar, like someone he already knew. But he couldn't quite place her.

"What?" She felt self-conscious. Was there something wrong?

He shrugged. "I just wanted to see your face one last time before I show you who I really am."

She felt startled. She hadn't let herself think of the significance of this – one sided reveal possibly. And she hadn't yet had the time. "It's time."

He nodded before taking off with a spinning leap, trying to loosen his nerves. Chat Noir traveled through the city, taking a few unnecessary detours to delay the inevitable. Ladybug sensed this and supressed a nervous giggle. Was Hawkmoth someone important?

As soon as Ladybug saw those familiar looking walls, she knew. She shook her head. "Oh, no." She thought as soon as they landed in a tree nearby. "You live in there?"

She thought back to when she found Adrien, injured in a spot mysteriously close to where Chat Noir got hit in their fight against Hawkmoth a few weeks earlier. But she had denied it, thinking that it couldn't possibly be him. No way!

She had denied it despite all evidence to the contrary!

"Yeah."

Memories of all the times he slipped up and almost called her "M'Lady" as Marinette, or Princess as Ladybug, filled her mind. Also 'Royal Elephants'? That was so obviously a cover-up! She could kick herself she had been so blind!

Chat Noir studied her reaction. He had been afraid of this. "What is it?"

It then occurred to her that Adrien likes Marinette. Chat Noir might actually have real feelings for her! She shook her head. It had been real, after-all?! At least it had for him. She needed more time to sort through her feelings. But there was no time.

She closed her eyes, and pinching her forehead she tried her best to think through her convoluted thoughts. Either way she had to confirm her suspicions. It couldn't possibly be him. But it most likely was! "Adrien? Is that you?"

He nodded. "Why, are you disappointed?"

Her brained screamed. She couldn't deny it any longer. Adrien had been Chat Noir this whole time! What did this mean for their fake relationship? Or was it real now that he had real feelings? Did she have real feelings? Or did she only think she liked Chat Noir because she was really fake dating Adrien this whole time?!

To the shock of both Chat Noir/Adrien and Ladybug herself, she promptly burst into tears.