Triforce Dragons asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy! :)

Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir belongs to its respective owners. Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. I only own Rachel.

Ladybugs And Cats Go Hand In Hand

Adrien had enough. "Ladybug obviously doesn't need me and I don't need people talking trash about me," he said.

He was currently in his room, having had another argument with his father, who wanted him to leave school and go back to being tutored at home, but Adrien wanted to be around his friends. While things were okay in school, when he was Cat Noir, things were different now. When he and Ladybug did save the world, she got the recognition and the thanks and all he got were glares and people trash talking him, saying all he did was destroy while Ladybug restored things.

While that was true, he didn't destroy things like buildings and properties. That was the akuma-infected people who had done that. He only used his special power to help weaken the enemy so that Ladybug could effectively use her lucky charm to 'cure' the people affected by Hawk Moth's akumas and set things right.

But that was just the icing on the cake. He even got into a fight with Ladybug, who said she didn't think he was taking being a hero seriously with the way he acted so nonchalantly and with all his puns, which she found annoying. Well, that cut into him deeply that even his own partner felt she couldn't trust him. As a result, the last battle they were in, he made no puns at all. He hardly even said hello to Ladybug. He just did what he normally did, thinking that if he acted nonchalant and laid down puns, no one would find him funny anymore. Granted, he knew being a hero was serious, but he felt even a hero should have some responsible fun or loosen up a little, something that apparently Ladybug didn't agree with.

He now looked out his window. "I need to get out of Paris for a bit," he said. "Get away from my dad and away from everyone who just thinks I'm a loser, including Ladybug."

Plagg flew out and floated beside him. "Aw, come on, Adrien," he said. "Ladybug was just being a stick in the mud. She should be thanking us for helping her out."

"Well, apparently she doesn't need our help, Plagg," the blonde-haired boy said. "Not only that, Chloe's been getting on my nerves lately."

"Ugh, what an ugly girl," Plagg shuddered. "Ladybug is so much prettier."

Adrien didn't answer, to the kwami's surprise, but then the boy held out his fist. "We're getting far away from here," he said. "Plagg, claws out!"

Transforming into Cat Noir, Adrien used his Cataclysm attack and broke down the door to his home and ran off, using the cover of the moonless night to slip silently away without anyone seeing him.

A full day had passed and with his abilities as Cat Noir, Adrien soon made it to the United States, landing in California. The glamor of the big cities didn't really impress him and he had to stop a few times to get some camembert for Plagg, who noticed that his partner wasn't eating anything. "Adrien, you should really eat too," he said.

"I'm good, Plagg," he said. "You need it more than I do. We're going to be hunting for a place to lie low tonight."

As evening set in, it also began to rain, something that annoyed both Plagg and Adrien before the boy transformed and took off along the alleyways. He would have normally taken the roofs, but he didn't want to become a living lightning rod. He found a map of California on a huge billboard and looked at it carefully. Surely there was a small town that he could lie low and not worry about anyone bugging him? He soon spotted one. "Staybrook," he said. "Hey, that's not far from here."

With that, he took off, running lithely through the rain, making it to Staybrook in about half an hour and did a quick search before finding a large mansion on a hill on the outskirts of town. "Perfect," he said. "Looks spooky enough to be a haunted house. The perfect place for a black cat to hang around."

Slipping inside, he found the living room quickly and found a warm fire going on in the fireplace. "Now this is what I call cozy," he said, shutting the window behind him and going over to the fireplace, curling up to not only dry off but to keep warm too. As the rain continued to fall outside his refuge, all his traveling caught up to him and he fell asleep in front of the fire.

Unknown to him, five figures were watching him. "Must be a thief," Ghostfreak said. "He's dressed in black."

"But why would he go to the fireplace?" Snare-Oh asked.

Blitzwolfer sniffed the air. "I don't sense any ill from him," he said. "Whampire?"

The Vladat studied the intruder's energy. "He's cold," he said. "He's just trying to warm up. And…," the alien's eyes widened. "He's just a kid."

"What?" Frankenstrike said. "You mean…he's very young?"

"Around fifteen or sixteen, unless I miss my guess," Whampire answered.

"If that's a burglar's suit, it's an odd one," Ghostfreak said. "Looks like he's pretending to be a cat."

"Puts a whole new twist on 'cat burglar', doesn't it?" Snare-Oh asked.

"We best wake him up and see what he wants then," Blitzwolfer said.

The five Galactic Monsters went downstairs where Rachel and Rook, having heard them, came out from the kitchen. "What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"We have an intruder," Whampire said. "A very young intruder."

"A child?" Rook asked.

The Vladat shook his head. "A young teenager," he said.

"Where is he?" The owner of the Grant Mansion asked.

"In the living room," Frankenstrike said. "We were about to go wake him. It looks like he came in to escape the rain."

Rook and Rachel followed their friends into the living room where they saw the young man in his black cat suit curled up by the fire, looking like he was trying to stay warm. Ghostfreak went up to him and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey," he said softly. "Wake up, boy."

Hearing that, Adrien quickly went alert and jumped up, bringing out his staff, blinking in surprise at what he saw. He dropped into a fighting position, ready to take them on. "Easy, kid," Blitzwolfer said. "We're not looking for a fight."

"Shouldn't have woken me up then," Adrien said and began spinning his staff. The aliens quickly began blocking his attacks, throwing some of their own, careful not to hurt the boy, but to tire him out.

Turns out, tiring him out was much easier than they anticipated because after not having any food that day, the boy was weak from hunger and soon fell down, making it easier for the aliens to pin him down. He tried to squirm, but that was useless. "Let go!" He demanded.

Frankenstrike looked up at his companions. "What do you say we give him a welcome he won't forget?" He asked.

They all agreed and Snare-Oh tied up Cat Noir, who tried to squirm again, but couldn't get free. "No one gets free of Snare-Oh's tendrils when he catches them," Rachel said, catching the boy's attention. "Is it alright if we join in, guys?"

"The more, the better," Whampire said with a grin.

Adrien struggled, not sure how much longer his transformation would hold as the aliens carried him to a lab that looked like something he had only seen in the movies and they strapped him down to a table. Normally, he'd use his abilities to break free, but because he was weakened from hunger, he could only squirm a little and eyes widened as the aliens and human woman hovered over him, raising their hands before reaching for him.

He clenched his fists, but a moment later jumped nearly out of his suit as seventy fingers began wiggling furiously into his neck, underarms, stomach, knees, and feet. "Hey!" He cried out before his laughter took away any other words.

"Well, well, despite being a hero, he's very ticklish," Whampire said as he continued tickling the boy's neck. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo! I believe you are the first ticklish cat we have ever met that isn't an alien."

"Why so surprised?" Rachel asked as she and Rook tickled the boy's feet after taking off his shoes. "After all, Rook is ticklish and he's a cat."

They all chuckled as Rook gave his love a playful glare as they continued tickling their victim.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHO! HEEHEHEHEHELP!" Adrien pleaded, obviously in stitches as he tried to squirm away from the tickling hands.

"My, my, sounds like his ticklish levels are very high," Frankenstrike said.

Ghostfreak and Snare-Oh began tickling the boy's ribs as well as his underarms, making him squirm and laugh, trying to escape, but the restraints held him in place. "Why don't we give him a breather?" The Thep Khufan suggested. "After all that laughing, he's probably a bit winded."

With that, the seven of them stopped. Adrien lay tiredly against the table, breathing hard before feeling a hand gently touching his cat ears and he flinched. "Not…Not so hard," he said pleadingly.

"Ah, so your cat ears are sensitive," Ghostfreak said with a chuckle, but made sure he was gently as he gently rubbed the ears as if the boy was a real cat. "Just what are you, kid?"

"Are you a hero?" Blitzwolfer asked.

Adrien looked away. "No," he said softly.

"Well, you certainly don't seem like a villain," Rook said. "So you must be someone who upholds the law."

"Well, I try to," the boy admitted.

"Something bugging you?" Whampire asked in concern.

"You can tell us," Frankenstrike said.

"Unless you don't trust us, to which we can tickle you until you do," Rachel said with a mischievous smile.

"Not a bad idea," said Snare-Oh as they began tickling their victim again.

Adrien burst into laughter immediately, again squirming like crazy as he was tickled to pieces before they again granted him a breather and he looked at them. "Well, I don't know what kind of akumas you're supposed to be, but you certainly don't seem evil," he said.

"Akumas?" Whampire asked in confusion.

"Something infused with negative energy," Rachel said.

Cat Noir looked at her. "How do you know that?" He asked.

She smiled. "I've studied a bit about legends," she explained. "And if you think my brothers are akumas, then you must be a human with a Kwami, a being that grants you your powers."

He looked at her. "You wouldn't happen to have a Miraculous too, would you?" He asked.

The owner of the Grant Mansion gently shook her head, chuckling. "No," she answered gently.

Just then, Adrien heard his ring beep and he knew what that meant, but also knew he wouldn't be able to get away in time and so took a deep breath. "Okay, you guys have proven you're not my enemies, but…can I really trust you with a big secret?" He asked.

"You're in a home full of aliens that I have provided refuge for and have accepted, keeping our enemies from finding out where they are," Rachel answered. "We can keep secrets."

He took another deep breath. "Okay," he said and closed his eyes, transforming back into himself while Plagg landed tiredly beside him. "Oh, need cheese," the Kwami groaned.

The Galactic Monsters nearly jumped out of their skins. "He is just a kid," Ghostfreak said.

"Yeah," the boy said. "I'm Adrien. Adrien Agreste."

Rook entered the boy's name into the computers and his eyes widened. "Adrien Agreste. A famous model from Paris, France," he read aloud.

"That's why the name sounds familiar," Whampire said. "My angel was looking at some clothes online to see what kind of designs were in fashion and your name came up a few times."

Adrien looked a bit bashful before noticing Plagg was in Snare-Oh's hand and the mummy was gently stroking the Kwami's head. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any camembert cheese, would you?" He asked.

Blitzwolfer wrinkled his nose. "Yes," he said. "We've been trying to get used to the smell for about a week."

Rachel chuckled. "We were given some camembert as a gift, but we've never had it before and the smell has been taking a bit to get used to," she said. "But you like it?"

"Actually, Plagg does," the boy said. "It's his favorite."

After they had let him up and insisted he join them for dinner and let Plagg eat all the camembert he wanted, they all went to the living room. "So, what brings the famous Cat Noir here to Staybrook?" Rook asked.

Adrien sat up. "How did you know my alter ego is called Cat Noir?" He asked.

"The Plumber database lists all heroes in the universes," the Revonnahgander explained. "We keep an eye on those people to see what they do. You've proven yourself a hero."

The boy looked away. "Glad you think so," he said.

"You don't believe you're a hero?" Frankenstrike asked.

The blonde-haired boy shook his head. "Not me, but…others," he said. "My partner, Ladybug, is a real hero, but even though we work together, no one else sees me as a hero."

"Why is that?" Snare-Oh asked, tickling Plagg's stomach with one cloth finger, making the cat-like Kwami playfully bat at his finger while giggling a little.

"Because…I just cause destruction," Adrien said. "That's what my powers do and Ladybug fixes everything."

Rook called up some more about Ladybug and Cat Noir and studied the data before looking at the boy. "I don't see you causing any destruction," he said, showing the boy the data. "You destroy things that your enemies put up, but you don't cause destruction like damage to buildings and such."

"Not according to the people of Paris."

Seeing how forlorn he looked, they knew there was more. "There's something else bugging you," Ghostfreak said gently.

Nodding, Adrien told them about the fight with his father and the fight with Ladybug. "I wish my dad would understand, but he doesn't and…it hurts that Ladybug feels she can't trust me," he said.

The aliens looked at each other and then looked at Rachel, who nodded, catching on to their idea. "Adrien, why don't you stay here for a bit?" She offered. "Get your bearings again and not worry about fighting villains or stopping evil for a few days?"

"That sounds perfect," he said. "Do you know a good place in town I can find a room?"

"Why not here?" Frankenstrike said.

"We've got room and not only that, we'd insist you'd stay," Rachel said.

"What if I politely refused?" Adrien asked.

"Then you'd be asking for a huge tickle torture from us," Blitzwolfer said, pouncing on the boy and tickling his stomach, making him laugh and tap the floor, indicating he conceded.

A few days later, they could see a difference in the boy. He was happier and less stressed out. One day, he was messing around with Snare-Oh, playful wrestling with the alien mummy, who tickled him in return to make him laugh and try to disrupt his concentration, but the boy was quick on his feet and a quick thinker. He pinned Snare-Oh, but the alien mummy tied him up playfully and lifted him up in the air, making him laugh before they called a truce. "You know, I really like how you guys don't treat me like a celebrity," he admitted. "You guys treat me like an equal and…you guys also act like a family to me too."

Snare-Oh ruffled his hair playfully. "Our friends pretty much become members of our family, Adrien," he said.

"Not only that, everyone should be treated equal," Whampire said, walking in with Plagg sitting on his shoulder.

"Well, this is definitely the cat's meow," the boy said, making them chuckle in amusement.

"Really?" Rachel asked, also smiling.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Definitely a 'paw' up."

She chuckled at that one. "I know someone you'd get along with really well," she said. "He'd probably declare a pun war on you and have as many cat puns up his sleeve as you do."

They all shared a good laugh at that.

Back in Paris, Marinette was worried. "Tikki, I think Cat Noir ran away," she said.

"But why would he do that?" The friendly Kwami asked.

"Probably because I told him off about goofing off and then people started saying that he wasn't a hero, but he is," the dark-haired girl said and she stood up. "We've got to find him."

"Let's do it then!" Tikki said happily.

Marinette gently brushed her earrings with her hand. "Tikki, spots on!" She called out, transforming into Ladybug and heading out, pausing when she heard a news report.

"We've gotten word that the mysterious Cat Noir is somewhere in the United States of America," the reporter said. "According to the letter the station received, he is safe and happy and wishes to let the citizens of Paris know that he will never make them feel like they are in danger again."

"But some people are beginning to ask where Cat Noir is," another reporter said. "Even some of the children are standing up and saying that the mysterious figure is a hero they look up to, just as they look up to Ladybug."

Marinette nodded. "Time to find out where that letter came from," she said.

But that turned out to be a dead end. The letter came from an untraceable email address. But Ladybug didn't give up and set out for the United States to find her friend.

Back at the Grant Mansion, Adrien had transformed into Cat Noir and was practicing some moves with Rachel and Rook. "You're doing great," Rachel said.

"You guys are pretty good too," he said before hearing a faint thump from the roof and looking up to see a figure he didn't think he'd see there. "Ladybug?"

Rachel and Rook looked up to see a young girl who was dressed up just like a ladybug jump down and run up to Cat Noir, glomping him. "Cat Noir, I'm so sorry," she said, making him freeze in surprise. She looked at him. "I…I should have told those people they were wrong. You are a hero and Paris needs you as much as it needs me."

Cat Noir looked away. "But I'm not a hero like you, milady," he said.

"Yes, you are," she insisted. "And I'm not letting anyone say otherwise."

Rachel came forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I don't think she'd come all this way unless she meant it, hon," she said gently. "And she's right."

Seeing the boy look at her, she smiled. "Ladybug needs you to help her not be so rigid in battle and you need her to help you take the bad guys down for good and stop Hawk Moth's evil plans to take over the world."

She then looked over at the girl. "No offense, Ladybug," she said.

"None taken," she answered. "Because you're right. I do need my partner. The past few days I've been fighting by myself, it hasn't felt right and…as much as his puns annoy me…,"

"Hey!" Cat Noir said in offense, but then saw Ladybug smile and place a finger over his mouth to quiet him.

"He makes my job worthwhile and always has my back, even when it seems there's no way out," she finished.

He smiled at her. "You do the same for me, milady," he said and surprised her by kissing her cheek. "And…thank you for not giving up on me."

She blushed as red as her ladybug suit. "Thanks for not staying mad at me," she said. "I know what I said was hurtful."

He shrugged. "Let's not worry about it," he said. "By the way, we better get back to Paris. Hawk Moth might send some creature out there while we're here."

"Why don't Rook and I give you both a lift?" Rachel offered and Rook nodded in agreement, transforming his Proto Truk into a plane.

"Sweet!" Ladybug said admiringly.

"Totally cool!" Cat Noir agreed.

Fifteen minutes later, they were over Paris and Rook landed his truck. "Next stop: Paris," he said with a smile and looked around. "What do you say you and I come here for Valentine's Day, my love?"

Rachel giggled. "Oh, you heartthrob," she said, giving him a loving kiss, but keeping it brief as the two heroes were watching.

Ladybug smiled. "Thank you for hosting Cat Noir," she said. "I was worried about him and afraid he'd give up being a hero."

"Ladybugs and cats go hand in hand, honey," Rachel said with a smile. "You both need each other. And Paris needs you both."

Ladybug smiled and headed out, but Adrien hung back. "I owe you guys a lot," he said. "Thanks."

Rook smiled. "You're welcome to the mansion anytime," he said. "You and Ladybug both, and your Kwamis."

"Thanks," the boy said.

"Take care, Cat Noir," Rachel told him. "May luck be with you."

"Same to you," he said, following after Ladybug, landing beside her on a rooftop as they saw a monster terrorizing Paris. "Well, milady, shall we lend a paw and a wing?" He asked.

She smiled at him. "Let's show Hawk Moth that we're here to stay," she said.

Both heroes jumped into battle, ready to defend their city once more.

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