The night was young, just beginning and since it was autumn, it was slightly chillier than most nights in Paris. A little girl sat with her mother on a park bench in the park, swinging her legs and as she did so, she hummed to herself a little tune she liked from memory. She wore a ladybug costume that also had a short black cat tail coming out from behind and cat ears that stuck up from the top of her head. She also wore a black mask clasped by a button at the back of her head over her greenish blue-belle eyes. Her name was Emma Agreste and today was her fifth birthday.
The boy sitting next to her, playing videogames was her older brother. He was seven years older than his sister; twelve and not so peppy as she was so he opted for staying within his own little bubble away from her over eagerness. He remained fixated on the pixels on his screen and stuck his tongue out to the side in concentration as he battled the boss of the last level for the umpteenth time. However, it was not to be his victory that day as the game played the losing medley and he grumbled.
"Gah, no fair and I was so close!" he complained. A comforting hand made its way to his shoulder and he turned sulkily to regard its attachment. The smiling face of a woman with dark blue hair the same as his held back in a single bun atop her head looked down into the light green eyes of the boy with knowing understanding.
"It's okay, it's just a game Louis," she said. "Besides, the best part about losing is that you learn from your mistakes and know what to fix the next time right?" Her son, Louis Agreste sighed and nodded glumly.
"But I wanted to win this time," he grumbled. "And where's dad anyway? He's late," he regarded trying to change the subject. The woman who was his mother sighed and returned to looking at her son with a warm smile as she subconsciously rubbed her slightly bulging middle. This was Marinette Agreste; famous Parisian fashion designer and soon to be mother of three; perhaps four.
"You know him…he probably had to escape from those crazy photographers and the rest of the paparazzi. He'll be here. He's sometimes late but he never breaks a promise right?" The boy nodded knowing she was right but wishing his dad could be just a little quicker when coming to an important event. And he also wished that he didn't have to transform just to do so. His little sister smiled brightly.
"I think he's amazing!" she exclaimed. "Daddy's really cool because he and Ladybug protect the city together and they always beat the bad guys." She clutched a plush doll of a ladybug crossed with a black cat closer to her chest. She turned to her mother and smiled giddily making her mother's smile widen as well. She stroked her hair affectionately.
"That's right," she agreed. "And no matter what, Daddy and Ladybug will always be there to keep us safe." The little girl nodded.
"I know mommy," she replied. "It's what you do best!" She continued to swing her legs underneath her and hum. Her brother rolled his eyes in annoyance as he went back to the start of his game. They waited and waited for a while longer and just as the little girl was growing impatient, a light 'thump' alerted them to another presence. The family turned see a man all dressed in black including a mask that made his eyes greener than they normally were and a pair of cat ears on the top of his head. Slightly unkempt blonde locks fell down to just above his face and a black belt flowed out near the spine from his rear representing a long tail with a silver baton resting just over top of it. The woman smiled warmly and nudged her daughter.
"Look Emma, I do believe that's the one you've been waiting for," she commented. Emma's eyes shone with stars as she nodded.
"Uh huh," she agreed. The figure strolled smoothly over to their little park bench and seemed to be looking around for something with a hand over his eyes. He hummed in thought.
"I was told that a certain little Ladybug would be here but where could she be?" he wondered with a hint of playfulness to his tone. Marinette had to stifle a giggle at his goofiness.
"Here I am!" Emma declared who stood up on the bench so she was taller than her mother. She had excitement dancing in her eyes; a broad beaming smile on her face. The cat-like person stared down at her pretending to be taken aback by her sudden appearance.
"Oh my, you're right," he declared. "Geez, I wonder how I could've missed such an adorable little bug." The little girl giggled. Her mother stood up from behind and handed her a backpack she'd made up for her while at home.
"Alright, I've packed some extra blankets in case you get cold and some snacks. Make sure you stay safe and warm," she warned. Her daughter looked up at her with twinkling eyes and an innocent smile.
"Yes mommy," she chimed before turning back to the black clad figure. He smiled.
"Well then…shall we be off?" he queried.
"Yes daddy!" she exclaimed. The cat costumed man became confused. He began looking around again.
"Daddy?" he questioned. "Who is this 'Daddy' you speak of; I am the one and only guardian of the night; protector of the innocent; righter of wrong doing and seeker of justice…" he knelt down before her on one knee then took a bow. "I…milady…am Cat Noir…" Emma giggled more at the scene while her mother smiled fondly at the two.
"And you…" the man continued, "…are the ever so lovely assistant to my noble deeds this night…my little ladybug." He then took her small hand in his own and gently kissed her knuckles causing her to giggle louder while the boy on the bench had looked up only to make a gagging noise at the scene. Suddenly the man scooped up the child and tossed her onto his back causing her to squeal with delight. "Now my little lady…are you ready?"
"Yes! Let's go!" cried the little girl excitedly. With that the black clad figure turned to the woman with a charming smile, bowing slightly with deep passion.
"I shall return her by nine o' clock milady," he promised. She nodded, jutting out a hip sassily to the side while holding her belly, a smirk on her face.
"Sure thing but…aren't you forgetting something?" she asked. Cat Noir smirked and leaned in to delicately and passionately kiss the blue eyed beauty on the lips. While they were at it, they heard the unmistakable groaning and gagging noise effects coming from the boy on the bench. They separated after a while and smiled lovingly at one another. The girl on the cat's back giggled at their show of affection. Cat Noir once again bowed deeply, careful not to lose his passenger before the woman.
"Breathtaking as ever milady," he commented. "Now…we must away to patrol this troubled city! To action!" he cried causing the five year old to giggle again and squeal with delight as he turned and took off suddenly leaping up to the rooftops leaving Marinette and her son in the park. The boy groaned.
"That was so gross," he grumbled. His mother turned to him with a sly smirk on her face.
"I suppose for you it was but…do you know what else is gross at this moment?" she queried. The boy looked at that oh so familiar look that all mothers possessed and gulped uneasily. "Your room," she finished. He groaned loudly.
"Aw man!" he exclaimed as he slouched his shoulders and pouting, followed his mother out of the park home in order to clean his always so messy living quarters. Meanwhile, Cat Noir raced with a squealing and giggling little five year old girl on his back.
"Faster daddy; faster!" she cried with delight. Cat Noir chuckled and picked up the pace but only slightly. He didn't want her to fall off and get hurt. His eyes were vigilantly darting around the city bathed in moonlight for any signs of trouble; any sign that showed he'd have to put his little girl down somewhere safe. However, it was their lucky night as nothing majorly complicated seemed to be going on. He allowed her to witness his taking down of a few bank robbers and had her help him; help an elderly woman crossing the street with her groceries and into her apartment. Said woman gave her some cookies afterwards which she was thanked for by the happy girl before she and Cat Noir took to the rooftops again.
As it got closer to midnight and a lot closer to her bedtime; Cat Noir finally took her to the top of the Eiffel Tower just underneath the usual observation platform and set up the little picnic that'd been prepared by the girl's mother on one of the support beams. Together they sang happy birthday to one other and finally dug into the delicious cake that had their favourite flavored icing on top. The five year old turned to Cat Noir with a mouth covered by the confection.
"Dis is da bestestest birfday aver!" she exclaimed through a mouthful of cake. Cat Noir chuckled as he reached over with a napkin to dab away the messy substance around her mouth.
"I wouldn't say that," he told her. "This is only your fifth birthday. Who knows…maybe you'll get one better than this one next year," he hinted. The girl's face lit up with excitement.
"Really!?" she asked excitedly forgetting her earlier statement. He nodded and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face.
"Really. Now tell me…how was your day with Ladybug?" he asked. The girl's eyes lit up more and she expressed herself with over the top hand gestures.
"It was amazing!" she exclaimed. "She let me swing around with her all day long and we got to save a cat stuck in a tree and we helped Old Man Lefu clean up his store after he had an accident. Then we visited some kids in the hospital and gave them some of Grandma and Grandpa's awesome sweets. They all really liked it! I also got my new costume! It's a lot better than the old one!" She stood and carefully twirled about on the thick beam to show it off to him.
"Yes; it's very stylish. But tell me…why is it both a Ladybug and a Cat?" she giggled.
"Because…mommy is Ladybug and daddy is Cat Noir. I'm their little girl so that means their powers would combine and I would become…" she stood up proudly brandishing a cat toy (a stick with a mouse attached by as string) that she had dubbed her combination of a yo-yo and a baton. "…Lady Noir! The greatest kid superhero who helps the greatest superheroes of Paris! Tada!" Cat Noir laughed heartily as he applauded the little girl's pose.
"That's quite impressive," he stated. "And I'd say that you did a good job as Lady Noir today." She grinned from ear to ear and he pretended to steal her nose which made her giggle with delight as she tried to retrieve it. Once he gave it back to her he grinned.
"You know what though…"
"What?" she gazed at him admiringly.
"Ladybug and Cat Noir also help people while they're not superheroes." Her eyes widened.
"Really?" she asked. He nodded.
"That's right. They might have to keep their secret identities but that doesn't mean that they can't be helpful as who they are in real life every day. Like for example…your mom makes clothes for people to wear so they don't have to go out in the streets in their underwear," she giggled. "Your papa is very kind and polite to many people because even if they don't deserve it, they do. Even your big brother does good by helping friends in need whenever they need someone to confide in with their problems. Actually when you think of it…many people out there are heroes."
"Huh but how can everybody be superheroes if they don't have powers?" she wondered, cocking her head to the side. Cat Noir chuckled.
"Well not everyone needs super powers to be superheroes. Think about firefighters. They save people from burning buildings but they don't have powers. What they do have are giant trucks with water; the people's trust and support and most importantly teamwork and a proud sense of duty." The little girl giggled.
"You said duty," she told him. He smirked.
"Right…speaking of which…do you have to make a duty yet?" she giggled.
"No…not yet." He picked her up and twirled her around, careful not knock over their picnic before sitting back down on the beam with her in his lap. She snuggled up close to him.
"Okay…well…think of policemen too. Whenever we can't be around they're good at getting people to safety; they work with Ladybug, Cat Noir and one another to protect the people of this city. Then what about bakers and cooks; they're heroes because they help feed people delicious meals to eat and teachers have the power of teaching children like you how to count; read and write so parents can do their jobs."
"Wow so does that make Grandma and Grandpa heroes?" He smiled down at her as she looked up.
"It does," he told her. "See it doesn't matter who you are, what costume you wear or who you help. It's all a part of the world we live in and it's human nature to lend a helping hand to the community and to one another. There are many heroes out there. You just have to know where to look." Emma smiled up at Cat Noir with sparkles in her eyes. Then she went and snuggled up in her papa's arms more.
"You know what?" she asked with a little yawn. Cat Noir smiled down at her.
"What?" he asked.
"You, Mama and Louis are all my heroes!" she exclaimed. Cat Noir raised an eyebrow.
"Because of our powers and stamina?" he asked. She shook her head no and yawned again rubbing at her eyes.
"No…because Papa's Papa, Mama's Mama and because Louis is my big brother!" Cat Noir was taken aback for a bit by the simple words but he smiled and hugged his child closer to him.
"That's a very good reason," he told her. She smiled and yawned again.
"Papa?" she questioned.
"Yes my little lady?" he replied.
"Do you think…my new baby brother will think I'm his hero?" she asked. Cat Noir looked up at the stars for a bit and then back down at his daughter in his arms.
"I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "But even if he doesn't see you as a hero…that doesn't mean you have to stop being his hero…right?" he questioned. She nodded tiredly.
"Yeah okay," she replied. She started drifting off. "I'll make sure to take good care of him." she promised. Her black clad father smiled softly down at her.
"I'm sure you will; and Louis too,"he said. Then he had a thought. "What makes you think it'll be a boy?" he wondered. They hadn't told them this yet. She shrugged her shoulders.
"I dunno…I just have this feeling. And maybe…there'll be a girl!" Cat Noir tilted his head.
"How's that possible?" he muttered more to himself. Again his daughter shrugged in his arms having heard him.
"When I was feeling Mama's belly earlier, I was feeling with two hands. There were two kicks at the same time," she explained. "So that's why I think we're getting a baby brother…and a baby sister." Cat Noir took this in and decided to get the answer from his wife later. He then smiled down at his little girl with an idea in his head.
"You know what…I think that the boy would be named Hugo. Your mom and I already discussed it…so…what do you think the girl's name would be?" She was silent for a while and after a bit, he began to think she'd fallen asleep. However when she stirred some and cleared her throat, he leaned in to listen.
"I think…her name should be…Mavis," she said. Cat Noir blinked thinking it over.
"Mavis huh?" he thought some more. "Why Mavis?"
"Because mama said it meant song thrush; you know…a song bird?" she asked seeing if he knew. She yawned again. "It's pretty anyways!" she stated. Seeing his girl getting more tired he smiled fondly and carefully began reaching around her starting to clean up their picnic and putting things back where they belonged. As he finished he felt her shift again yawning.
"Papa? Do you like the name Mavis?" she wondered. Cat Noir smiled at her and brought her closer into a hug where he kissed her on the forehead.
"Of course. I think it's a lovely name," he told her. She nodded yawning again.
"Happy birthday Papa," she sighed as she relaxed into his arms. He kissed her forehead again.
"Happy birthday M' little Lady. Sleep tight!" He stood taking up the backpack and carefully maneuvering the little girl onto his back. Then he took off in the direction of their home. Once arrived, he slipped through a carefully laid window into a little girl's room. The walls were decorated with glow in the dark ladybugs and black cats with green eyes; a popular decoration in any kid's room these days. He placed the backpack down gently and began to dress her into her pajamas which were also ladybug and cat noir themed and once he finished, he pulled back her covers and laid her down into the bed.
He then released his transformation, letting his costume fall away and a small black cat kwami to come out and grumble about being worked for no reason near the door. However, both knew he'd enjoyed it as much as his wielder had. As soon as Adrien Agreste stood in Cat Noir's place he happily leaned in and kissed his little girl once more as he tucked her in. Finally he took up her backpack which held the remnants of their picnic and left the room quietly marching into the kitchen.
Once everything was unpacked; properly packaged and put away, he left the backpack on a chair in the living room next to her big brother's backpack. Then he walked down the hall towards his own room, slipping into his son's room along his way to kiss him good night as well.
"Welcome back dad," he yawned tiredly. His son rolled onto his back some to look up at his father and Adrien smiled as he yawned up at him.
"Thank you," he replied before he ruffled his hair. "Great job on your room by the way; now get some good earned sleep for tomorrow k?"
"Yeah okay," he yawned in reply. He rolled back over onto his side and let his father tuck him in more before he left his son's room smiling and headed for his own. Once there he turned on a small light and got undressed after the long day and finally climbed into his bed; aching muscles relaxing as he sank into his usual place allowing his wife's warmth to draw him in as he budged closer to her. He held her close to him, wary of her belly while taking in her familiar scent with his eyes closed.
"How'd it go?" she wondered in a whisper.
"Quite well bugaboo," he told her. There was a pause. "So…are we having twins?" he asked. His wife giggled some.
"Yes that's what the doctor said today when I went in with Alya. One boy and one girl," she replied. "How did you know?" He smirked.
"Our little Lady Noir is very purr-ceptive," he stated. She rolled her eyes out of habit but nodded with understanding. She snuggled closer to him.
"Any ideas for names for our extra little kitten to come?" she wondered having not planned for this beforehand in her younger years. He paused a moment before smirking into her neck.
"I believe Mavis is quite beautiful," he whispered in her ear.
"Mavis?" she hummed, turning her head slightly. He nodded gently with his eyelids closed.
"Our little lady is also very good a picking out names." She giggled as she carefully maneuvered herself so she was facing him.
"Well then…it looks as though we get to look forward to meeting our little Hugo and Mavis soon," she stated before adding, "Happy birthday kitty!" He smiled, letting his muscles relax all the way and his body melted completely into her warmth.
"I can't wait M'lady," he sighed before kissing her lovingly on the lips and finally drifting off to dreamland by her side.