"Can you explain to me what happened to cause Theo Barbot to become akumatized?" Ladybird asked him, Chat averting his gaze from her.
He rocked himself using his feet, watching them with interest.
"I may have told him that," he watched as she tapped her foot. "That we were a thing."
"You what?!" Chat flinched, feeling his makeshift ears turn downwards. "What possessed you to say-"
"Because he has a crush in you!" Chat blurted, watching her glare at him. "I thought-"
"Well you thought wrong! Because of your lie, you gave Hawkmoth a chance to manipulate someone!"
"I didn't think-"
"Like if you ever do."
"Excuse-"
"First off, I told you to not go to the statue ceremony, but what did you do? You went ahead and did so anyways. You wanted to bask in the limelight-"
"I was just accepting-"
"-their gift and beliefs that we are superheroes."
"Well aren't we?"
"We're not! We're vigilantes Chat." Ladybird screamed. "We aren't under an organization nor do we have enough members to be considered a team. We're not even partnered up with the government! But if we did, that doesn't matter! We are here to serve the people, not ourselves." Ladybird sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Chat casted his eyes to the city below, watching as the sun began to set.
"Listen. I didn't mean to cause all this. I'm new to all this...this hero stuff. You, on the other hand, you seem to know what you're doing. You're taking this all seriously-"
"As you should be as well."
"But I'm new to this!" Chat cried. "This freedom...this responsibility. Did you know that when we took down Remediator, it was my first time being on the Eiffel Tower? I've lived here all my life and yet...I'm just now started to explore my city.
Up until now, I've always been stuck inside the walls of my own home...everything done for me...it's suffocating..." Chat trailed, leaning into the railing.
He watched Ladybird stand on top of the railing, taken aback when she did a cartwheel in place and finally sat.
Show off.
"To think we're not that different." Chat watched as Ladybird looked at him, her blue eyes staring back at him. "For starters, my lifestyle isn't that different from yours, although it seems my grand-tutor made sure to teach me some basic etiquette."
Chat let out a huff. "I am grateful and honored to have been given the Ladybug. The miraculous also gave me freedom, but if it weren't for already knowing what I do, I would've given it back in a heartbeat." Ladybird confessed.
"Given it back?!" Chat found himself screaming, not believing that Ladybird would do such a thing. "Why would you give up your-"
"If I'm not fit for the job, I'm not going to waste everyone's time trying to get better along the way. I'm not going to risk people's lives for the price of getting experience. We're lucky that the Ladybug returns everything to the state a thing or person was before an akuma attack. If it weren't for that..."
Chat didn't need her to finish the sentence, following her trail of sight.
The sky had turned dark, a few clouds lingering alongside the few stars that dared to twinkle that chilly evening.
Chat began to rub his arms, when he caught Ladybird smiling, her eyes closed as she leaned into the night's breeze.
It was the first time he ever saw her smile. Usually, she's always frowning or scowling, so Chat was glad to see that she was human too. Despite the dark ambience, it looks as if Ladybird found solace in it, as if she thrived off of it. She looked at peace.
As much as he wished he could spend more time out, Chat knew he couldn't raise suspicion at home. "Well Ladybird, I guess it's time for us to head home. Got school tomorrow and I would like a nice cat nap right about now."
Ladybirds smile morphed into a thin line.
"I guess you're right. Oh. And before I forget. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be training you."
"But-"
"Decision is final, unless you want a repeat of today's fight." Chat let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He really didn't want a repeat of today.
Hopefully this doesn't make him more tired than usual.
"Send me the time and place then." Chat said with a small grin, showing off the burner phone he had on his person.
"Good." Ladybird stood on the railing, readying her yo-yo. "Also, I suggest you bring an extra pair of clothing. You're going to need it."
With those final words, the two went back home, Chat catapulting himself over large gates and landing on top of the home's window. Without a second to miss, he slipped inside.
"Plagg, claws in."
Chat's transformation dropped, Plagg appearing before his holder.
"See? Even Ladybird agrees with me that you're reckless. Now hurry up and give me some cheese, Adrien! I'm starving!"
-----
Marinette looked at her notebook, doodling a sketch of a sweater she would like to own. Or perhaps she should make it herself.
Then again, she hadn't picked up a needle in a year.
The bell rang, signaling the last class of the day, Marinette dumping all her things into her bag and making her way out until Alya tugged on her bag.
"Hey Marinette! Got anywhere to go after school?" Alya asked, Marinette not even answering her as she made her way to the school gym. "Fencing, I didn't know you knew how to fence! Do you mind if I watch?" Marinette simply huffed, Alya taking it as a yes and sat at the sidelines.
"Ah, Miss Dupain-Cheng! I see you're right on time! Now, I know I said I was going to teach you the basics, but! I thought, why not let our star fencer show you?" Marinette watched as M. D'Argencourt introduced her to Adrien Agreste, the boy fidgeting under her glare. "Now, now Miss Dupain-Cheng! Beggars can't be choosers! Quickly now! We don't have all day!
-----
To think this was the way he was going to interact with the infamous Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
"You get the point." Adrien tells Marinette, dropping to the floor. "Are you sure you're just a beginner?"
Adrien watched as Marinette took off her helmet, some of her loose hair strands sticking to her face.
After showing Marinette the basics, Adrien didn't think he would have to put too much effort in the practice, only to be proven wrong. Marinette's attacks were swift and carried a lot of force, Adrien almost losing his footing half of the time. He also didn't think she would have great reflexes for a beginner.
"Just started today." Marinette replied, wiping away her sweat. "Wanted to try something different."
"Different?"
"Stress baking hasn't exactly been doing me wonders lately." Stress baking? "Yup. My parents own a bakery and whenever I get annoyed, I stress bake." Oh, he had said that out loud.
"What bakery do they own?"
"The one across the street." Marinette answered, her phone going off. "Seems like I have to leave. My parents want me to babysit my sister while they focus on an upcoming order."
"You have a sibling?" Adrien asked, hating that his voice changed a pitch higher.
"Have two...used to have three..." Marinette trailed, Adrien noticing the shrouded darkness in her eyes.
"Guess you better start heading home then. Don't want your sibling waiting for big sis for too long!" Adrien said with a grin, snapping Marinette from her trance. "Say hi to her for me!"
Marinette nodded, picking up her bag as she walked out. Adrien watched as Alya joined her, happy to know she had a friend-
A friend, huh?
Adrien stood up, resolution clear in his eyes.
Friends...
-
Amira didn't know what was more frustrating, getting Alya to hide or getting the akuma under control.
As soon as Marinette had told Alya about babysitting Bridgette, Alya welcomed herself into the Dupain-Cheng home, Tom and Sabine happy to see Amira making friends.
But the happiness didn't last long when they were forced to hide, thanks to an akuma nearby. At least the Dupain-Chengs hid, Alya sprinted right out the door to capture the fight, Amira having to run after the foolish girl.
However, it provided a good cover for having to leave to take care of the akuma.
"I thought it was a general rule to never bother a cat when it's eating! Why the hell did Kim think it was a good idea to bother it!" Ladybird yelled over the animals chasing after her and Chat.
"Beats me! We have to separate the animals from the Victim! Got a plan LB?"
"LB?" Ladybird relayed, Chat smiling.
"You're always calling me Chat, so I thought I should give you a nickname as well. We are partners after all." Chat said with a grin, Ladybird huffing.
As she kept running, she saw Kim running away for dear life.
"I got a plan."
"Just say the word, LB. Ready for anything."
-----
Bruce watched as Gordon took Killer Croc into custody, Robin at his side, reviewing photos he took of the crime scene.
"Should we head back?" Batgirl asked, realizing that Bruce hadn't moved in a while.
Ever since he came back from France, he had been...off. While he wasn't distracted while fighting, he certainly became so after the fights. His entire guard would go down, his scowls nowhere to be found but neither was his smiles. Not like they were even there to begin with.
He always looked like he was repeating or reviewing something in the distance.
Without a word, Bruce snapped from his daze, hopping into the Batmobile and gesturing Robin to follow him.
"Make it back home safe Babs." Robin told Batgirl, showing her his tablet. "Call us if you need anything." Ever since Bruce stopped talking to them, Tim made it his job to say what Bruce would say to them during patrol.
While it seemed like a sign of trust, Tim knew it was far from it. If anything, Tim saw it as a test, Bruce testing to see how much Tim had learned from him in the past couple of months.
As for Barbara, she knew his silence had to do with something in France, something to do with Nightwing's move to Bludhaven...with Dick's plea of her joining Bruce as Batgirl.
Yes..that's how her theory of Bruce being Batman was confirmed true, how she found out about her classmate being Nightwing.
Now, she had to figure out why Bruce was so distant.
"Start 'Baby On Board' protocol." Tim commanded the Batmobile, catching Bab's off guard.
Baby On Board? Like the stickers new parents put in the back of their cars?
She watched as the Batmobile sped off, using that as her cue to leave.
"Bruce. Why is autopilot called 'Baby On Board'?" Tim asked, looking over at Bruce, turning his attention again to the road ahead when he saw Bruce lost in memory lane. Sighing, Tim sunk into his seat, counting the seconds until they reached the Cave.
------
He remembered it like it was yesterday, even though it happened half a year ago.
He was in his study when he got the alert of the Batmobile on the move, Bruce making his way to the Cave to see what was going on.
As he made his way down there, he quickly called upon the 'Anchor' protocol, causing the car to stop as soon as it left the Cave.
He remembered finding an annoyed Jason and a pouting Amira in the seats, yelling at him for not letting them drive to the city for some ice cream.
"We don't have choco mint nor vanilla in the fridge! You know I only like choco mint and vanilla!" Amira complained as Bruce made them get out the car once he brought it back into the Cave.
"I didn't want ice cream, but I wasn't going to miss the chance of driving the Batmobile once Amira cracked the code to activate it without the remote in your suit pocket." Jason defends himself. A bad defense, but his defense.
"I was this close to reporting the two of you for grand theft auto." Bruce scolded them, watching as his two youngest rolled their eyes at him.
"Pops, can you imagine the call if you did that? 'Hello? Police? My children stole the Batmobile.'" Jason played out, Amira sputtering out a laugh.
Bruce frowned.
"Dad, we were perfectly fine and if anything, you could've just placed it under "Baby On Board" protocol and made us believe we were driving the car." Amira pointed out, Jason and Dick stifling their laughter.
"'Baby On Board'? What-"
"Auto pilot." Amira said with a grin, causing Jason and Dick to burst out in laughter.
-
"LB! Can't you go a little slower?!" Chat yelled from inside the bus, letting out a yelp when Animan -in panther form- almost landed a scratch on his face.
"If I don't drive at this pace, we'll never have a chance to fight him in an open space!" Ladybird yelled, drifting the bus around a corner, smiling when Le Jardin de Luxembourg came into view. "Seems like our stop is here Chat!
Thank god she remembered Jason's lesson on how to start a broken car or any vehicle for that matter.
"Prepare to jump off!"
-
Bruce watched as ladybugs flooded the streets of Paris, watching as Amira successfully took down another victim of Hawkmoth's manipulation.
He watched as Amira gave a small smile to her partner before the two fled the scene to who knows where.
"She seems happy." Tim spoke up, looking at the frozen screen of Amira Wayne smiling back at him. "Does-"
"Not since she told me to leave Paris." Bruce said, getting up from the Batcomputer's chair. "You should head to bed, Tim. You got school tomorrow."
Bruce watched as Tim nodded and ran off, leaving Bruce alone in the Cave. Despite spending most of the past few years here, Bruce never noticed how cold it truly was.
This was the first time he's ever felt cold in that cave. The first time in a long while he felt...alone.