The cool, Paris air felt nice against her face, brushing nicely against her face. Her gaze looking out at the city she loved and swore to protect. Though tonight being a superhero was far from her mind, (Y/n) just needed a night of peace and that's exactly what she got. Between school, superhero duties, and Guardian lesson from Fu, it was just a lot. Granted, it was a life she was fairly accustomed to after all of it, (Y/n) knew there always needed to be time to rest. To forget about it all and just take time and breathe.
A lesson that she learned the hard way.
"Hey Stagg, mind grabbing me my camera?" (Y/n) asked, knowing this would be a near perfect shot. Yet in these moments, it often reminded her of him.
"Here, you go." Stagg said, gently dropping it into her hands. Her hands ran over the numerous scratches and dents of her rather vintage camera, even the initials carved into it. Maybe it looked like an aged camera that should be replaced but it held far too many memories. (Y/n) could go through the numerous films and pictures just to replay it all, remembering some of those good times they had before...sighing, (Y/n) lifted the camera up, snapping the pictures. A bittersweet smile appearing, her thoughts drifting to times she wished she could forget.
"You know, I can still remember how they looked at me that day. I always knew how they felt about me but I really saw it that day. After that, I just couldn't be a superhero without remembering it all. Even now, I wonder if I made the right decision..if-"
"It's alright, (Y/n). Everyone makes mistakes, anyone in your situation would have froze up like that too. It wasn't your fault." Stagg said, resting on her shoulder. Wiping the tears which began to fall. He knew the troubles that haunted her, he knew better than anyone. He knew how hard this was for her, being the best superhero she could be and being the best person she could be. One who she actually liked. "And I know you made the right choice. You've always made great decisions, so trust in that at least."
"Thanks, Stagg. Thank you for everything."
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"Hey! I think I sniffed out who the real Ladybug is...Chloe" Alya whispered to (Y/n) and Nino, who both had their own reactions while Alya jotted something down on a post-it note. Nino, on one hand, laughed unable to even fathom the idea. (Y/n), on the other hand, only smiled right along stiffly. From the moment Alya had grabbed her and Nino, dragging them to this bench by the water side, she was curious as to why. Now she wished she had been walking out a school a minute or two later than she did.
(Y/n) had hoped Alya had given up her search after Ladybug's textbook 'mysteriously' disappeared but she probably should have guessed that someone with a reporter's ambition as Alya wouldn't give up so easily. Even then, Alya had been fairly close, she had the right place, the right class, just the wrong person. (Y/n) could only imagine what would happen if Alya took a closer look at her best friend, putting pieces together until they clicked. The same could be said for Adrien, after all with the right clothes, it would be as clear as day. After that, (Y/n) knew it would only be a matter of time till she's found out. And it was time for that, just yet at least. Though she could only hope that she could deter Alya from this path before something bad happened.
"Haha, Chloe? Seriously? She's too self-absorbed to think of anyone except herself. You are cray-cray lady."
"I am so not. Don't you believe me (Y/n)?"
"You're not crazy per say-"
"See, (Y/n) thinks I'm right."
"I didn't say that but don't you think you're jumping to conclusions? I mean what evidence do you actually have to prove this?"
"Nothing yet but I have a plan to get exactly what I need." (Y/n) hated where this was going, seeing Alya only going deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.
"Maybe you should think this through more. I mean when you think about, the second time Ladybug ever appeared, Chloe was held captive by Stoneheart. Then on Adrien's birthday, Chloe was right there when Ladybug showed up. She couldn't have been in more places than one."
"(Y/n)'s right, you know."
"Maybe but this is the best I got. Make sure you guys get to school early. I'll go over my plan with you." Alya said, running off towards Marinette's house. (Y/n) and Nino sighed, clear that once Alya set her mind to something, there was no going back. No matter the reasoning presented to her and for now, they just had to roll with it.
Though Nino couldn't help but notice the downturned expression settling on (Y/n) as she laid her head on his shoulder. Everyone knew she'd been acting a bit weird today; far quieter than she normally was, always dazed in class, stuttering over herself when called on. It just wasn't how she normally was. Maybe moments ago everything seemed like it was fine, but Nino could see now something was troubling her. And it pained him to see it, he wasn't quite sure why it did. Or why her felt butterflies burst in his stomach every time he saw her. Or why he felt a rush of joy, like his entire world was transforming before his eyes into vibrant colors, when their eyes met. Nothing really got Nino like this unless it was one of his gigs, jamming out on his board, being free while everyone else came alive and danced along to it. So he just had to ask, no matter the nerves he felt.
"Hey, is everything alright?"
"Am I that obvious?"
"Yeah."
"And I thought I was better at hiding my emotions. I guess those years of practice really fell through." (Y/n) said, dryly laughing about it. Not like it was really a joke in the first place, she just wasn't used to being real to others besides Stagg, sort of with Master Fu, and of course him. He could always see through her act, at least when things weren't as they were now. "Sorry, it's probably isn't the best time to joke around...I just couldn't help it. Call it a habit."
"Then, what's going on? You know, if you don't mind me asking."
"I'm not ready to go too deeply into it but a few months ago, I was living in New York. Things were going good for a change until something happened to someone I really care for. I blamed myself for it and I wasn't the only who blamed me either. Stuff happened, things were said and it ended with me here in Paris. I love it here, it's always been my home but yesterday, it just really hit hard."
"I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't be. I try my best not to think about it. It was just a catalyst of things to come. I'm working through it bit by bit, some days are just harder than others." (Y/n) said, relaxing a bit more into Nino. Even if she wasn't disclosing the full story, it was nice to get off her chest to someone other than Stagg. It was definitely a big step, like someone once told her. But she was a bit surprised to feel Nino's arm wrap around her, nurturing her closer. She could feel his comforting heat, letting her know that it would be fine like Stagg always liked to remind her.
"If you ever want to talk about it more, I'll be here. I'll do whatever you need me to." The simple gesture brought a smile to her face, a genuine smile with nothing hidden behind. She really needed this.
-------
So many thoughts run through (Y/n)'s head as her feet pound against the ground. Her heart almost exploding in her chest at the speed she's running at, hoping things would still be fine by the time she gets to the hotel. She knew she should have stopped Alya, tried to convince her otherwise again or something. Or at least not shown up late of all days. Maybe then Alya might not have been akumatized.
(Y/n) could so easily blame herself for things out of her control. It was habit if anything, years of it being ingrained in her systems by force. Confidence only got so far when there was still demons to be fought.
Maybe it was why she wanted to protect Chloe, to try to right the wrongs she made in her mind. Even if what she did was overboard and unnecessary, (Y/n) wouldn't leave her vulnerable, she couldn't. And she thought that doing it as herself and not her superhero alter ego was the way to go no matter what danger there was.
So breathless and full of worry and anxiety, (Y/n) found herself pounding at Chloe's door. Just hoping she wasn't too late.
"What are you doing here?" No matter the snide remark, (Y/n) felt relief wash over her as she finally took a moment to catch her breathe.
"Thank god you're fine. I was worried for a bit." (Y/n) said between her heavy pants. Not catching how Chole's eyes widened with surprise or see the embarrassed blush spread across her cheeks. It was the first time Chloe felt like someone genuinely cared for her, not out of fatherly love or out of obligation or because they wanted her to like them. She knew she was the bratty teen they all saw she was, making rude remarks and making fun of so many people, while often using her father's influence to benefit her. She knew what they said behind her back or at times to her face. And she had to admit it stung because Chloe knew she wasn't always like this. And there was compassion in her and so much else that no else wanted to look for.
"Not that I care or anything, but why do you care so much?"
"Heh, you remind of this Japanese cliche." (Y/n) said, laughing a bit. Before looking into Chloe's sky blue eyes that were confused and weren't quite sure if it was an insult or not. "Jokes aside, Alya-well I guess Lady Wifi hasn't stopped by here?"
"No, why would she? It's not like I did anything to her."
"I would have to disagree, I mean I heard what you did earlier-"
"And? She invaded my privacy. Are you going to defend her like everyone else? Why am I always the bad guy?" Chloe's voice trailed off more and more, though it was just loud enough for (Y/n) to hear. She smiled, glad she had come and glad she hadn't made too many assumptions. She always liked to believe in a second chance, hoping that this time it wouldn't come back to bite her, and (Y/n) was happy it hadn't.
Grasping Chloe's hand, making the blonde look her dead in the eye to see the concern (Y/n) had for her, making sure she knew everything wasn't all some act or to blame her. It was because (Y/n) really did care.
"What Alya did wasn't right, she probably should have gone at it differently or not done it at all. Though you also overreacted. But the only reason why I'm here is to make sure you're alright."
"Thank you." Chloe said, a bit embarrassed as she turned her head away. "And thank you for saving me when that stone statue came after me."
"Of course, now what do you want to do?" Chloe smiled as (Y/n) asked that, an idea coming to her mind and she had the perfect person to help.
-------
"Come on, practice with me." Chloe's voice brought (Y/n) from her little trance. She loved watching the blonde do a few moves of her own while dressed up as Ladybug. It was cute.
"Alright, but you know seeing you like this, you're kinda cute." Chloe' face turned as red as the red of her costume, beginning to stammer away. She felt like her heart was going to explode as no one other than her dad had called her 'cute'. Not even Adrien, especially not Adrien. Sometimes she wished he would look at her like (Y/n) did. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get you flustered. I can be pretty blunt at times."
"I've never been called cute..."
"Well, you certainly are. And you're pretty great too, no matter what anyone says." (Y/n) tucked a stray hair behind Chloe's ear, seeing her only grow red. Trying to suppress these feelings that rose. "Seriously, I like seeing you like this. You just seem more like you."
Chloe almost cursed her phone for ringing but then again she was grateful as she had no clue what to say in response. Her mind just blank as everything else seemed to overload. Though as soon as answered the phone, Chloe regretted as Lady Wifi, immediately coming at Chloe.
"Shit!" (Y/n) yelled, grabbing Chloe's wrist and pulling her from the line of fire. She knew she should have seen this coming, cursing herself for not thinking otherwise. "Shit, shit, shit."
No matter the close calls, (Y/n) somehow made it out unscathed with Chloe in toll. But there wasn't much room left to run to. Though when Ladybug and Cat Noir busted through the door, she was beyond happy as it caught Lady Wifi's attention.
"Everything alright, princess?"
"As fine as it can be but I'll leave the rest to you guys. I'll take care of Chloe." (Y/n) yelled, running through the bedroom doors and away from the battle. Though as much as she wanted to help them, (Y/n) looked back at Chloe seeing the fear plastered on her face. (Y/n) knew that leaving her wasn't the best idea and watching from the sideline was all she could do.
And so (Y/n) watched the battle from beginning to end, a number of things crossed her mind. She had already been working on a few things for Ladybug and Cat Noir to work and she knew now was the best time to finally have that talk she'd been loathing.
Though that was a worry for tomorrow as she walked Chloe back to her room, for both their sake's.
Hi, everyone!
Sorry I haven't updated in a bit, between the holidays, classes, and just being busy with a number of things, I haven't had much of a chance to really write for this. I'll try to update when I can but it'll probably take longer than it usually does. Still thank you to everyone for loving on this story. It took me awhile to finally nail down the concept I had planned for this. It was a lot of trial and error at first just to see which ideas would click and which wouldn't. I'm still figuring a few things out along the way but all your comments really touch my heart.
Also, I decided to add Nino, Chloe, and Kym as love interests. Nino is just a lovable character and as much as him and Alya are cute, I just couldn't resist. As for Chole, she has so much potential as a character that I really want to explore, both as herself and as a love interest. With Kim, he's pretty interesting in his own rights and I'm already getting a few ideas.
I'll keep Alya, Mylene, Juleka, Rose, Alix, and Max as friends since (Y/n) has to have some rather a bunch of people falling in love. Of course, there are characters like Lila and Felix who I haven't quite decided how I'll work them into the story, I mean I got ideas but it's a matter of working it all out.
Again thank you all! Till next time!