My first mermaid AU you guys!

Land and Sea

Miraculous Ladybug

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.

The first time Ladybug met pirate captain Chat Noir, he was drowning.

This was before she got her spots and took the name Ladybug. When her name was Marinette and she was in-training.

He was chained up and struggling to get free as a rock dragged him deeper into the dark abyss.

She didn't hesitate to help him. Ignoring the voice in her head to let him drown; One less human to hunt her kind.

Her Mama always said her heart was too big.

Marinette grabbed his biceps to slow the drag, causing him to snap his head towards her.

She has never seen eyes such a beautiful green before.

Everything seemed to freeze around them as they just stared into each other's eyes.

A connection forming. New and weak, but there.

The human opened his mouth and bubbles floated out, snapping both of them back into reality.

Marinette held a hand over the chains on his wrists. She focused and a dull pink light gently flickered to life. The manacles snapped open and drifted off his wrists.

He stared at her in awe before panic filled his face.

Humans need air. Right.

The mermaid quickly unlocked the other set of manacles around his ankles and started to lift him towards the surface. She got worried when his eyes closed and he went limp in her arms.

They broke the surface with a loud splash. The human gasped and coughed once he could breathe again. Marinette patiently held him up to let him recover.

Her blue eyes scanned around for any nearby land.

There.

A beach a short distance away, close enough that it will only take a short while to swim.

"Hold on, I'll return you to the land," She told the still coughing human. With every push of her powerful tail they got closer and closer to the beach.

The human had stopped coughing and gone limp in her arms, but she felt his chest expand with every breath.

Once she reached land it was a struggle to get the human on land and not beach herself. Marinette managed to lay the human in the very shallow part, a few steps away from dry sand.

She should have left then. The human's life was already saved and anything that happened now was fate's will.

But...he was so pale and his breathing was uneven.

Marinette hovered a hand over his chest and took a deep breath, focusing on the warm feeling that always brought forth her magic. When the pink glow appeared she slowly lowered it into his chest.

Her healing magic was draining, but this was worth it.

The magic faded and his breathing evened out.

She had to leave.

Marinette dragged herself back into the waves, glancing back at the human before disappearing under the waves.

Next time she saw him, it was at a distance.

Tikki, her mentor, had to go visit a friend so Marinette had the day off. She decided to skim the surface of the ocean, take in the sky and sun.

Then a ship appeared.

Marinette had seen enough pirate ships to recognize it as just that.

She also knew pirates were notorious mer hunters. Often selling their parts or to be used for pleasure.

The bluenette made sure to be far away so nets couldn't reach her and submerged enough to not be seen.

Except she was.

She recognized the green eyes when they made eye contact.

He was a pirate. Of course.

Of course her luck made it so she saved a pirate. Who knows how many of her kind he's caught, sold, or killed.

Why couldn't he have been a model?!

Marinette tensed under his gaze. Was he going to try and catch her? Turn his ship to chase her?

The human merely stared. His eyes never leaving her's.

Another human came up to the pirate, the moment his eyes moved away from her she dived under and quickly swam away.

They ran into each other too many times to be a coincidence. Maybe it was fate…

Or he was following her. That isn't a good sign.

Marinette had gained her spots, signaling she now had the Ladybug name and magic now.

She was in mourning for the passing of her mentor after the old mermaid transferred the Ladybug magic. Too old to live any longer.

Tikki's last request being Marinette find her other half, a being with the Black Cat magic.

"They will be the only being that will always have your back. Always be there for you."

In her distracted state she got too close to land and tangled up in a discarded net. In the struggle she got beached on land and there was pain somewhere on her tail.

Only Marinette could screw up this badly.

With a sigh she closed her eyes and laid on the sand, the waves hitting her tail almost tormenting her.

Close to safety, but can't reach it.

There was the sound of crunching sand and Marinette snapped her eyes open.

It was the human pirate. He froze when she looked at him.

It he here to catch her while injured and defenseless? So she can't escape?

Well she wasn't going down without a fight.

Her nails extended to claws and teeth into rows of fangs. The red webbed fins on the side of her head extending out to look intimidating. A defense mechanism when a mer feels threatened. Ladybug lifted her head up and hissed.

"Wow," The pirate held his hands up in peace. "I don't want to hurt you."

Ladybug narrowed her eyes and bared her fangs.

Pirates lie.

"We've met before, I'm Chat Noir," He moved to take a step forward, but stopped when she hissed. "You saved me from drowning."

A mistake.

"I know who you are," Ladybug snapped.

Chat Noir looked shocked. "You can talk!"

She scoffed. "Of course I can talk! What pirate doesn't know that?"

The blond gave a sheepish grin. "You're the first mer I've met."

Ladybug narrowed her eyes, studying the pirate. He seems like he's telling the truth, but you can never be so sure…

"How do I know that you aren't lying? For all I know you're just trying to lure me into a false sense of security."

"I can only give you my word," Chat Noir told her.

"Swear on the sea."

He looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Swear on the sea," Ladybug firmly told him. "If you break it, the ocean will never allow you to sail safely."

Those green eyes fearlessly stared into her own. "I, Chat Noir, swear on the sea that I am not, nor will I ever, lie to you."

The bluenette was a little taken back. She lowered her lips and didn't hiss when he got closer to her.

Blue eyes watched intently as Chat Noir slowly kneeled down beside her. He moved a hand towards the rope around her tail, but stopped and looked at her.

"May I?"

Hesitantly, Ladybug nodded.

Chat Noir grabbed the rope and gave it a few tugs. "It's on pretty tight."

He reached towards his belt to the dagger sheathed there, but paused when the mermaid sharply hissed. "I have to cut it."

She gave a bubbly growl in protest.

"You have to trust me."

Ladybug stared into his eyes before sighing and laying her head on the sand, closing her eyes. Awaiting whatever the pirate had planned.

Chat Noir took his dagger and started to cut the rope, taking extra care to not cut her. This worked until he got to the base of red and black-spotted tail, just under the fin. The rope was so tight that he couldn't lift it up enough to cut it. He didn't want to cut down in case he hurt her.

He walked Ladybug to trust him.

Glancing up to make sure the mermaid wasn't looking, Chat Noir pinched the rope between his thumb and index finger. He focused on the material.

Black bubbles floated out of his hand and the rope turned black, quickly crumbling. The blond let out a breath and the bubbles stopped.

"Do you need help getting back into the ocean?"

Ladybug opened her eyes and pushed herself up with her arms, grimacing at how they visibly shook.

She was drying out.

Before the bluenette could answer, Chat Noir slipped his arms around her waist. He gently flipped her backwards and completely in the water.

Ladybug sighed at the cool water lapping at her slightly sunburnt arms. "A am...in your debt, Chat Noir."

The pirate gave an almost goofy grin. "Consider us even."

"Very well," She nodded and started to crawl into the ocean, before she was completely submerged Chat Noir called out.

"Will I see you again?"

Ladybug glanced back. She thought about how many times they had already ran into each other, the odds of it. The ocean is a very big place.

"Possibly."

She ducked under and swam away.

Marinette decided fate had something planned for Chat Noir and herself.

She was chasing a corrupted mer, most call them 'Akumas,' towards the surface. The Akuma was heading towards a boat above them and she had to stop him before he attacks.

The Akuma leapt out of the water and dug its claws into the wood, climbing the side of the ship. The crew was yelling and running around loudly on board.

Ladybug threw herself towards the snarling Akuma and latched onto him like a squid. She leaned all her weight back, causing the Akuma's claws to detach and the two mers to fall back into the ocean.

White bubbles temporarily blinded the bluenette, making it impossible to see the claws until they sliced her cheek.

She cried out in pain before swinging her own claws at the Akuma, catching his arm.

Blood clouded around them and Ladybug hoped sharks haven't smelt them yet.

The Akuma swam towards the surface, but Ladybug dug her claws in the mer's tail and yanked him back down. She placed a hand on his forehead and a pink light flashed out.

When the light disappeared the mer looked around in confusion.

"Get out of here before sharks show up," She told him.

The mer's eyes widened at the blood around them and he torpedoed away.

Exhaustion hit Ladybug and she felt like taking a long nap in that moment.

Without realizing it, she drifted to the surface.

"Ladybug!"

The bluenette snapped into awareness and looked up at the ship.

Chat Noir leaned over the side of the ship, one hand gripping rope so he won't fall over. When they made eye contact he let out a sigh of relief.

Ladybug gave a tired wave and watched as the pirate leapt down to a ledge and waved at his crew to lower him. She was too tired to be amazing as he was slowly lowered to hover over the waves. Ladybug pushed closer and rested her arms on the wood.

"You're hurt," Chat Noir kneeled down and gently grabbed her chin, tilting her head to look at the bleeding slashes. She was too tired to fight back.

"I've had worse," The bluenette muttered. "I'll heal it after some rest."

A conflicted frown appeared on his face, but he let it go. "What was that?"

"Akuma. A mer corrupted by a wizard's dark magic."

"So you guys have them too."

Ladybug's tired blue eyes met his own. "You have Akuma's on land?"

Chat Noir nodded. "I've fought a few."

"I have to learn to accommodate that. Can't let them run around without being cleansed."

"How about this, my Lady," He held out a hand. "We work together. With the two of us, we can track them quicker and handle them together."

Marinette started at his hand before looking up at his eyes. They held a want to help and the honesty he had when he swore to never lie to her.

Maybe...this could work.

She reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Okay...partner."