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Do you regret it?
It was a simple question, but it had come out of literally nowhere. Chat Noir had been on patrol, as he had done since he was a teenager, when some fan strode up to him as he played around with the crowd.
Four words. Four simple words that should have been so easy to answer. Of course he didn’t regret it, everyone expected him to answer, everything was good now. Paris wasn’t in shambles, everyone was safe... they were okay.
But Chat had lost so much. His mother, his father, his fame, his friends... Everything was gone. When he wasn’t in suit, he was hated, scorned for having the face of a supervillain’s son. No one bothered to ask if he was okay or if he actually needed help, because they only saw Hawkmoth’s son. They only saw the monster he had been made out to be.
Being in the suit was the only time he ever felt free, truly free, even if he knew it wasn’t freedom. It was another responsibility. No one hated him for who his father was, no one wanted him to go away, no one... did anything but thank him for everything he’d done.
What he’d done with Ladybug. It wasn’t something he’d done by himself, that he could get the credit for, it was her. And she got all the recognition for it, he was just the sidekick.
After all this time and he still didn’t know her identity. It seemed unfair. All he’d sacrificed, all he’d tried to do, but nothing every worked, it was like she didn’t—
...Wait.
What was he thinking? He loved his lady. She withheld each other’s identities to protect them. From... from something, but he shouldn’t question it. But... maybe she was doing it because she didn’t like him. Or because...
...Shut up, brain.
Chat looked around, trying to clear his head. He was confused as to why he kept taking his own thoughts so negatively, it wasn’t very like him. He jumped when he saw a rather familiar shade of purple behind him.
“Hello, petit chaton.” The silky voice purred. Chat felt a chill go down his spine as he recognized the familiar butterfly insignia. Nooroo wasn’t safe. And the newbie was using his anger, channeling it into something she could use.
“Who are you?” Chat snarled.
“I am Chrysalis.” The girl smirked, adjusting her grip on a staff. “And you, my kitty, you are the one I need to get what I want.”
“Where is that cat?” Ladybug wondered aloud, texting him again with her yo-yo. “I need you, hurry up...”
It was strange, for him to be so late. Maybe something had happened, maybe he wasn’t okay, maybe she should go look for him...
But maybe it was too late, and maybe he was hurt, maybe he needed help, maybe he was already...
What am I thinking? She wondered. This was Chat Noir, he could take care of himself. But maybe he couldn’t...
“Miss Fortune, I am Chrysalis.” Ladybug jumped as foreign words echoed in her head.
“No, no, no, no, no, please, we already defeated Hawkmoth, this shouldn’t be possible-”
“Oh, little bug, I’m much worse than that fashion disaster. Those little thoughts? That was me, whispering, putting ideas in your head that don’t exist, don’t you trust your kitten?” The voice mocked.
“Leave me alone...” Ladybug whimpered as her world faded to black.
“Hello, kitten.” Miss Fortune smiled, stepping towards Chat Blanc, her footsteps echoing through the room.
“I need something from you, milady.” Chat smirked. “But we can still be together afterwards. Just you and me, against the world, remember?”
“But I need something from you too, kitty.” She faux-pouted. “But you’ll always be my kitten, even under that pesky mask. Don’t you want to see what we look like under all this secrecy?”
Chat stepped towards her and made an attempt to grab at her, to get her Miraculous and deliver it to Chrysalis like he was supposed to, but she dodged effortlessly and he found himself holding her waltz-style, her slender fingers tracing down his palm as she gracefully pulled him to her.
“Dance with me, chaton,” Miss Fortune whined, tracing the outline of his ring. “And I’ll need this.”
“Only if I can have these.” Chat offered, running his hand against her earring. He pulled her into a waltz to a beat that wasn’t present, the two of them just following some unheard rhythm.
They danced in silence for a while, the only sounds being their quick breaths and their feet against the ground.
“Things would be much simpler like this, wouldn’t it, kitty?” Miss Fortune tutted as he dipped her towards the ground.
“Like what?” Chat asked, lifting her up and spinning her, bringing her to rest against his chest.
“We don’t have to worry about anything because we’re finally free from that responsibility. We get to be the bad guys, and no one can tell us what to do or who to save, I feel so free.” Miss Fortune admitted, raising her arm away from him and moving in a slow circle around him.
“I definitely know how that feels.” Chat smiled, grasping her waist as she circled. “I feel so good without having people hate me who I am, I never want to go back.”
“Me neither.” She grinned. “It’s so freeing, it’s just the best word for it. And right now, I feel free enough...” She started, tracing her hand up his chest to beneath his chin, “...to do something I never thought I’d do...” She pushed his head down towards her, a slight smirk spreading across his face as he figured out what she was doing.
She closed her eyes and rose onto her tiptoes a little bit, kissing him passionately as he grasped her waist. She ran her hands down his sides, settling on his abdomen as he pulled her closer, desperately clinging to her.
“What are you two doing, stop it!” Chrysalis commanded in their heads, stamping her foot in agitation.
“You know what, no.” Chat Blanc hissed, breaking from the kiss. “I’m not going to give you what you want so you give me freedom, because that’s her. I already have her. Go fly away or something.”
“Yeah, bye-bye, little butterfly.” Miss Fortune agreed.
And with that, they returned to their freedom.