One Month Later
"Girl, you don't know how excited I am for tonight!" Alya gushes to her best friend in class, excitedly grabbing her arm too tight. "I still can't believe I was invited to interview Ladybug and Cat Noir at the Hero's Day Gala!"
Marinette smirks to herself. Thanks to yours truly. "You deserve it, Alya. Do you know what questions you're going to ask them?"
"You know I do!" Alya reaches inside her backpack and pulls out a notepad, flipping through until she finds the right page. There's a list of scribbled questions—some eligible—the reporter spent all night writing. "First, who's your favorite akuma villain you fought? Honestly, I'm hoping they say Lady Wi-Fi."
The pig-tailed girl rolls her eyes.
"Then, do you have nicknames you call each other?"
Milady. Buttercup. Kitty. Princess.
Alya keeps listing on. "What's your favorite suit power up?"
Marinette leans over and glances at the page. "Wait, 'Are Ladybug and Cat Noir finally an item?!'" She reads off with wide eyes.
Alya nods fast. "Yes! I'm dying to know—as I'm sure all of Paris is—and you can't deny their chemistry! Have you seen their recent akuma battles? They're always flirting, standing close, and making heart-eyes at each other."
The secret hero starts blushing and looks away. "That sounds like an exaggeration—"
"Without Hawk Moth, there isn't a villain to fight, so they haven't been seen in over a month," The reporter wonders out loud. "I swear I saw them last week, though. They were having a rooftop picnic!"
"A p-picnic?!" Marinette questions, glancing at the back of Adrien's head. Alya saw us?! We made out for like fifteen minutes! "Wow, that's—"
"But they're coming tonight! Ahh!" Alya gushes, putting her notepad away. "Thank you so much, by the way, for coming shopping with me yesterday. You're a life saver—"
Marinette drowns out her friend's words as she stares at Adrien. A sad smile falls on her face. He's slouched over at his desk, frowning. He's been in a bad mood all day. Their friends and classmates keep coming to talk to him about his father being Hawk Moth, varying from apologies, theories, and accusations of keeping his father's identity a secret. Just now, Kim and Alix stand at the model's desk, and she catches the middle of their current conversation.
"I'm sorry, but how could you not know your own father is a supervillain?" Kim questions, shaking his head with a harsh laugh. "He was literally in your basement!"
"I didn't even know we had a basement, Kim" Adrien defends, eyed glued to the desk.
Alix crosses her arms. "Still, it doesn't add up. If my dad were Hawk Moth, I'd know."
"Yeah, your relationship must have sucked with your dad if you didn't notice he was gone all the time, Adrien," Kim says, unaware of how right he is about their relationship. "Man, he must have hated you."
Adrien stands up and grabs his bag. "Excuse me. I... I can't be here anymore." He runs out of the classroom, ignoring his teacher's words.
"Adrien! Adrien, get back here!" Miss Bustier shouts, sighing. "Students can't leave during school hours!"
Marinette jumps from her seat and chases him out. "Adrien!"
"Hey, Miss Dupain-Cheng! Get back here!" Their teacher shouts. "Oh, I give up."
She runs down the main staircase and as she reaches the courtyard, a black shadow flies over her head, and she looks up to see Cat Noir jumping off the school roof, running deep into the heart of Paris. "Oh, Kitty..." Marinette looks around and sneaks into the locker room. "Tikki, spots on!"
Ladybug runs in the same direction she saw Cat Noir leave. She immediately goes to their spot and finds the hero sitting on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling, and he stares out at the bright city. She sits down beside him. "I thought I'd find you here."
"Didn't take you long," He whispers, impressed.
"Cause we're both ditching class, apparently," She jokes, looking over with a sigh. "I'm sorry about everyone... what they're saying to you."
Cat Noir stares down at his boots. "Nathalie warned me about coming back to school. I should have listened to her."
Yes, just like his father said, Nathalie did in fact have the peacock miraculous, and she gave it over without trouble. After days of long hours with late night conversations between the assistant and model, they finally concluded that his father had been manipulating and using her—just like he used his own son—and came to an agreement: Nathalie would become Adrien's guardian. So, she adopted him, and they live together at the Agreste mansion.
Cat Noir starts waving his staff around, bored, and says, "Everyone keeps talking about the Hero's Day Gala Mayor Bourgeois is hosting tonight."
"I know, Alya's so excited," Ladybug agrees with a laugh. "When she found out she's interviewing us heroes, she always blew out my eardrums from how loud she was screaming. We went to the mall yesterday and found her a new outfit."
He smiles, then frowns, and whispers, "I don't even want to go."
She bumps his arm. "Hey, they can't honor Ladybug and Cat Noir without the better half of the team."
A smile cracks on his face. "Bribing me with flattery. Smart, Milady."
"Come on, you know it's true." Ladybug grabs his hand. "I would be nothing without you, Kitty."
Cat Noir finally looks at her. "That's exactly how I feel about you."
A blush burns her cheeks as she smiles wide. "Besides, Master Fu gave us those magical treats. It'd be a waste if we didn't use them."
"Yeah, you're right..." He sighs.
The 'magical treat' Ladybug referred to? Chocolate drops homemade by Master Fu with just a touch of miraculous magic. The candy will transform their super suits into nice, expensive, beautiful clothing—while maintaining an elegant appearance without the risk of revealing their secret identities. They last for one day.
"I think it'll be fun," Ladybug continues on, scooting closer to her partner. "If you think about it, it's like a masquerade ball."
"But we're the only ones wearing masks."
She nods. "True, but we can ignore that part. I love masquerade balls! The passion, the tension, the long, lingering staring, the butterflies, the mystery! Ooh, I love it all!"
"You're such a goofball, Milady," Cat Noir jokes, nudging his knee into her leg. "But you can bet I'll save you a dance."
"I can't even dance," She mutters with an eye roll. "I have two left feet."
"You can dance. Remember Chloe's party?" He reminds her. "You danced beautifully there."
Ladybug grins at him. "You didn't even give me a chance to answer, remember?"
"I was too excited. I didn't want there to be a chance you'd say no," Cat Noir admits, scratching the back of his neck. Adrien's nervous side is peeking through his persona. "You ask a pretty girl to dance, and all logic goes out the window."
"You think I'm pretty?" She gushes with a smile.
"Of course—" Loyalty's voice echoes in Adrien's mind as he remembers that awful day.
"You think Marinette is pretty?"
Ladybug grabs his hand. "Kitty? Are you okay? Your face—you remembered something, and your smile fell."
"S-Sorry, Milady," Cat Noir whispers. "What you just said, Loyalty said something familiar to me, and I—"
"Thought about that awful day with your dad?"
He chuckles. "You know me so well."
"I do." She grabs his hand and squeezes it. "We don't have to worry anymore, Cat Noir. Hawk Moth—or your father—can no longer hurt Paris—or you."
"I know, it's just..." He takes in a deep breath. "I loved my father. There was a time I'd do anything for him, to make him happy, to make him proud of me. My mother's dead, my father is in prison, and now... I have no one."
"You have me."
Cat Noir looks up at Ladybug. He smiles. "I do."
***
After hours of staying on the rooftop—talking, playing cards, and joking around—the two heroes finally make their way to Mayor Bourgeois' hotel. They race each other, leaping and jumping from building to building, and land together about a block away, hidden from the crowds forming outside the hotel.
"I win," They say in sync, then widen their eyes at each other.
"What do you mean?" Ladybug shouts. "My feet touched the ground first!"
Cat Noir shakes his head, leaning in close. "Get your eyes checked Milady. My tail touched the ground first."
She rolls his eyes. "Tails don't count!"
"Admit it. I won."
"No. You admit I won."
He snickers. "Why are we so competitive about everything?"
"It's in our blood, kitty cat." Ladybug stands on her toes and whispers in his ear, "And I'm in the winner."
"Sure. You won, Milady. I'll give you that." Cat Noir steps forward until her back hits the wall, and he rests his arm by her head, leaning in close again. "You want to know what the winner gets?"
Ladybug grins at him. "Throwing privileges?"
"What? No! You're not throwing me off the roof again!"
She rolls her eyes, begging, "Come on! I was so close! You almost hit the Eiffel Tower—"
Cat Noir fills the space and kisses his lady. "There. Your prize, winner."
"I like winning," She whispers with a giggle.
He glances down the street and sighs as the crowds get bigger. "I think it's time to go, Milady."
"Let's go, then."
The pair faces each other, grabbing their chocolate drops, and eat them. A white glow surrounds them as their outfits are changed.
Ladybug sports a beautiful, puffy red ballgown with black elbow-length gloves. Her hair twists into a high ponytail with red highlights, her mask sparking with gold specks.
Cat Noir's suit reflects a green tint, paired with a matching tie and silver streaks along the creases of his arms and legs. The ends of his hair have black highlights.
He extends a hand to his partner. "Ready, Milady?"
She takes it. "As always, Kitty."