Ladybug: Hey, Chat?
Chat Noir: :wave:
Ladybug: How are you?
Chat Noir: Good. You?
Ladybug: I'm well. Thank you for the USB
Chat Noir: Did you get everything you need?
Ladybug: I did. Thank you, Chaton.
Chat Noir: :ok_hand:
Ladybug: Chat?
Chat Noir: What's up?
Ladybug: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.
Chat Noir: What gave you the idea? I'm fine.
Ladybug: The guys told me you left looking upset, and that you were asking about joining. I'm sorry. I should've asked for a meeting in another place. It's just you always were a little disapproving of me going there, so I didn't think that'll be something that would interest you. I'm sorry. I wish I could get you an invitation, but that's not how it works there. I don't have that power.
Adrien rolled the ring in his fingers, watching it closely. He wasn't sure, but he couldn't help but wonder.
Chat Noir: I've been told people get in there when life sucks.
Ladybug: Yeah. That's the Master's way of helping the community I guess.
Chat Noir: Do you mind sharing your story? If you want, of course.
Ladybug: Okay. I owe you that much.
Ladybug: There was a girl in my class in lycée who loved to pick on me and make my life a living hell. At first, I tried to ignore her. I thought she'd leave me alone if I do, but she didn't. So, I tried fighting back. It only made everything worse. She turned everyone in our class against me, even my closest friends. In the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I was on my way to Italy when Master Fu found me. Without telling my parents.
Chat Noir: You ran away from home?
Ladybug: I did. Master Fu stopped me, talked some sense into me and let me join.
Chat Noir: He let you join a nightclub while you were in lycée?
Ladybug: LOL No. I met the girl in lycée. Master Fu found me years later. The girl kind of followed my steps all the way to university and beyond. And, as I've already told you, there are strict rules concerning alcohol in Kwami Kave. It's safe even for younger kids. We aren't going there to get drunk or high. Everyone's there got a tale, and Kwami Kave is more like an extended family or a support group if you may.
Chat Noir: So, is Viperion support or a family?
Ladybug: ? Chat, what are you getting at?
Chat Noir: Nothing. Sorry. I was just told you could be dating him, so I was curious.
Ladybug: Who told you that!?
Chat Noir: Idk the guy's name. No one apart from Viperion bothered to introduce themselves.
Ladybug: I see. We aren't dating, Chat. We're close friends, but he's more like an overprotective older brother.
Chat Noir: Didn't appear this way to me.
Ladybug: Are you serious? Chat, what's wrong? Are you jealous or something?
Chat Noir: No. why would I be jealous? We haven't met and most likely will never do so. I don't really know you. Neither do you know me. For all you know, I might be married and have kids. I was just telling things the way I saw them.
It took her a few minutes to reply.
Ladybug: I'm sorry, Chaton. I made a mistake inviting you there. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. I don't know yet, but I'm sorry I made you feel bad. Thank you for your help. I'll try to make you proud by editing those designs to the best of my abilities and, hopefully, at least our mission will end in success.
Chat Noir: You're right. Maybe this was a mistake. Time will tell. I have to go now. Good luck with the editing.
Ladybug: Thank you, Chat. Good luck to you too.
Adrien closed his phone and shoved it into the pocket. He lied. He had nowhere to go, but he couldn't continue to chat either. He was being a jerk, and he knew it. If he continued, he'd only make it worse, and he'd already managed to hurt Ladybug as it was. He could sense it. He had to step away. He had to calm down. She didn't deserve the treatment he was giving her. Him feeling hurt, unworthy and a mistake—that was his issue. He couldn't bring Ladybug down with him. It was his idea to do this whole thing. He had to be the one to pay the price. Not her.
His gaze travelled to the ring on the table. Then to the card. He read it for the umpteenth time. Who was this Plagg? What kind of introduction "the master of destruction, a force to be reckoned with" was? Who gave out white gold rings near an exclusive, invitation-only club while pretending to be limping? Because that man was pretending. That much was clear to Adrien now.
Well, there was one way to find out, and Adrien had nothing better to do. He pulled his phone out and dialled.
***
If Adrien thought the club stood at a somewhat shady place, it had nothing on the location of Plagg's studio. Despite uneasiness, Adrien found the building pretty quickly, located the stairs down to the basement, and hesitated. It was a dark, narrow passage down. Flickering lights and wind drafts to add to the creepy mood, Adrien wondered why he'd agreed to this nonsense. But somewhere below, the sound of music echoed through space. It lured, so Adrien inhaled deeply, and closed the door behind himself.
Five minutes later, he located the source. Unlike the constricted staircase and the hallway, the studio was huge. Floor to ceiling mirrors covered with graffiti outlines of dancing people took up all four walls. The floor and the ceiling were painted black. A stage and a throne in its middle stood at the end.
Half lying across it, lounged a man in black baggy pants and a tight sleeveless top, also in black. His hair was messy, a top hat sitting on his head. Adrien judged him to be in his thirties, but he couldn't tell for sure. The lighting wasn't too bright.
The man didn't pay any attention to Adrien, most likely because of the loud music pulsating in the room. Instead, he smacked his lips on what looked like a piece of cheese. Adrien wrinkled his nose. The smell was familiar. Camembert. He suppressed a gag reflex and carefully walked closer, calling, "Hello? M Plagg?"
"Drop the Monsieur, kid," the man grumbled and kicked the boombox with his feet. The music stopped. He slowly got up and looked at Adrien. "Call me Plagg or you can leave right now."
Adrien inhaled. He swore Plagg's green eyes glowed. This couldn't be just the effect of lighting and contrast with his black hair, now could it? Whatever it was, he'd think about that later. For now, he mumbled, "All right. Good evening, Plagg."
"Adrien, I presume?" Plagg walked closer and circled around him.
"Yes. That's me."
"You've got the invitation?"
"I got a ring." Adrien raised his hand and showed it to Plagg. "Is that it?"
"Nice work," Plagg hummed, taking a better look at the ring. "For all he is, Master still has it."
"Master Fu? As in the club's owner? Is that who he was?"
Plagg paused, observing Adrien in silence. Then turned around and walked a few feet away. "If he didn't introduce himself to you, I'm not the one to do it. Why are you here?"
"I..." Adrien hesitated. To tell the truth, he wasn't sure why he was here. He was curious, so he called. An automated message gave him instructions on what to do and where to go. He could've ended it there, but Adrien didn't. Instead, he wrote everything down and came at an appointed time to the appointed place. What did he want? He wasn't sure, but his heart tightened as the images of Ladybug dancing flowed before his eyes, images of her partners, images of the multitude of people all moving to the sound. That feeling...
"I want to learn to dance despite the rain," Adrien whispered.
"Bullshit!" Plagg snapped, his back to Adrien. "Don't repeat the old man's words. Tell me what you want, Adrien."
Adrien looked to the side, answering a few moments later. "I don't really know. Maybe to get into that club? It looked nice."
"That's better." Plagg side glanced at him. "Be more specific. Why do you want to get into that club?"
"To escape?"
"From what exactly?"
"My hectic life?"
"You don't like your life, kid? I've heard it's a pretty nice one."
"You know who I am?"
"Master never invites anyone without knowing who they are."
"How much do you know?"
Plagg turned around, his hands in his pockets. "Enough to see how pathetic, miserable, and lonely you've become after your mother passed away and left you with a shit human being for a father. Isn't it right, Adrien Agreste?"
His pulse quickening, Adrien sucked in the air, his eyes widening. In a split second, he composed himself, his sight dropping to the floor. "He isn't so bad. He's just busy."
"Oh, yes! He's just busy," Plagg mocked and headed back to his throne. "I know how busy they get, kid. Too busy to properly mourn for themselves, and so shutting everyone else out, including their remaining family. Too busy to support their teenage children during the hardest time of their life. Too busy to be there for them during all the important events after that. Too busy to see that their kids are depressed for a good while of their lives. Too busy to see what their children want, instead, pushing their own ideas on them. Too busy to be fathers. You're right, kid. He's just too busy."
Adrien's eyes wide, he whispered, "How do you know all this?"
Plagg turned around and smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Magic, kid. Magic." His face saddened for a split moment, eyes shifting to the side, as he murmured, "Magic and experience." Plagg kicked the boom box, and the music blasted through space. He twisted and started towards Adrien, moving to the music.
"So, what do you really want from me, kid? You can buy any membership to any exclusive club you desire, yet you got your eyes on Kwami Kave. Why? Why do you need to go to the nightclub at all? Isn't your fancy upper-class life enough for you? They don't ballroom dance there as you know. Street dancing, hip-hop, break, you name it. Everything that gets your blood moving. Why would you subject yourself to that? I'm sure you've got better things to do. What brought you here?"
Adrien closed his eyes. He could feel the vibrations of music on his skin. He felt Plagg doing his moves around him. What brought him here? What did he want? What did he really desire for?
"Freedom," Adrien breathed, opening his eyes and looking straight into Plagg's. "I want freedom."
Plagg stood up straight and smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good."
"Can you give it to me?"
"No," Plagg replied. "Only you can free yourself, kid. All I can do is to teach you how to dance despite the rain. Do you want that?"
His heart pumping hard, Adrien nodded absentmindedly.
Plagg smirked, and moonwalked to his boombox, kicking it again to stop the music. He jumped into his throne and said. "My fee's a wheel of Camembert a lesson."
Adrien frowned. "Camembert?"
"You don't like it? Fine, I'll make it three."
Adrien quirked an eyebrow. "Three wheels of a Camembert?"
"Geez, kid." Plagg rolled his eyes. "You're such a pain already. All right. Five wheels of Camembert a lesson. But only because you're begging."
Adrien opened his mouth but thought better of it, nodding instead. "When do we start?"
Plagg grinned, a spark in his eyes. "Right now."
"But—I'm not ready, and I don't have Camembert with me."
"I do an evaluation for free. Show me what you've got."
"Nothing," Adrien said.
"What do you mean?" Plagg frowned. "Everyone has at least something."
"Well, I might be an exception, because all I know is ballroom dancing, and that's now what you want to see, isn't it?"
"That's not what I asked you for." Plagg groaned and walked closer. He grabbed Adrien's shirt at his chest. "Remove this. No one's dancing in my studio in a suit and a tie."
Silently, Adrien took off his jacket and his tie.
"Unbutton the shirt."
"Do I really—"
"If you want me to teach you, I've got to see what you've got. Unbutton the shirt."
Adrien complied.
Plagg measured with his eyes. "You look to be in decent shape."
"I've been working out regularly for as long as I can remember."
"Good. Then you've got the body, but no moves. Any particular style you'd like to muster?"
Adrien could practically feel his heart racing. "I want to dance like Ladybug."
"Ladybug?"
"At the club. I saw a girl named Ladybug dancing."
Plagg puffed. "I see." He smirked and walked around Adrien. "You know, Tikki and I are old rivals."
"Who is Tikki?"
"Ladybug's dance instructor."
"Can you teach me the same skills?"
"I can teach you better," Plagg grinned. "Congrats, kid. You've got yourself a dance instructor."
Goosebumps ran across up Adrien's spine. Yet the pit of his stomach stirred with excitement.
***
Ladybug: Chaton? You've been silent for a few days. Are you still upset with me? I know, I wasn't reaching out, but I was trying to give you some space and hoped you'd text me when you're ready, but it's Thursday already, and you didn't text me, so I'm worried. I don't know if you were wondering, but if you were, I'm done with editing the collection. I've also heard someone emailed an anonymous poll to all the designers. That was you, wasn't? So, I guess, all that is left is to email this all to Hawkmoth, right?
Ladybug: I don't want to do it alone. You've been by my side all this time. I can't continue without you. I won't continue without you.
Chat Noir: Are you sure you want me there, though? After the way I behaved. :embarrassed:
Ladybug: Of course, I do. We're a team and even if we might fight, we are still a team, and there is no one I'd rather have by my side for this than you.
Chat Noir: I'm sorry.
Chat Noir: I meant to write to you, but I didn't know how to start or what to say. I'm sorry for snapping at you and crossing all imaginative boundaries.
Ladybug: I'm sorry. Chaton. That's my fault. I should've chosen another place.
Chat Noir: That's fine. Don't worry about it. It was for the best.
Ladybug: It was? How?
Chat Noir: Well, I got to see you, for one. You look amazing, by the way. The way you danced I shall imprint into my memory for life.
Ladybug: I'm glad you liked it.
Chat Noir: And I've decided that I also needed a stress relief hobby, so I kind of looked around, and I think I found one. It's a pain in you know what for now, but I was promised it gets better.
Ladybug: I'm so happy for you! What did you find?
Chat Noir: A secret :3 I'll tell you when I'll get good at it.
Ladybug: That's a deal! So, truce?
Chat Noir: There never was a war, my Lady. There was only a jerk me who hurt you undeservingly. :ashamed:
Ladybug: We both played our parts. Let's forget it and move on. :heart:
Chat Noir: You're awesome. :crying: Can't wait to see what you've done to the collection.
Ladybug: Should I email it to him now?
Chat Noir: Can't see why not, Mlle Vigilante? Give me a few to forward you the poll results and launch the attack.
Ladybug: XD You're a dork, Chaton. But thank you. I would've never been able to accomplish this without your help. It means a lot.
Adrien grinned at his phone.
Chat Noir: Thank you, my Lady. You've changed my life in ways you do not know yet.
Ladybug: Hopefully for better?
Chat Noir: For the best. Gtg now. Keeping my fingers crossed this goes through smoothly.
Ladybug: Me too. Just got your email. Impressive results.
Chat Noir: They really are. 95% are on our side. Before I go, my Lady, can I ask you something?
Ladybug: Go ahead.
Chat Noir: If everything goes smoothly, will you go on a date with me?
Adrien didn't expect himself to be so daring, but somehow he was. He held his breath for those few minutes that she took to reply, but the answer was more than he could've hoped for in their situation.
Ladybug: I'll think about it. Goodnight, Chaton.
Chat Noir: !!!
Chat Noir: That's not a No. I can die happy. :grin:
Chat Noir: Goodnight, my Lady.