I had known for a fact that I was better than everyone else for years before I'd even met Marinette.
Adrien used to tell me I was special, when I was small.
He was also the only one that was ever truly honest. He was the only only one I trusted to tell me the truth.
Needless to say, I fell in love with him.
Not because he was pretty, though there was that.
Not because he was rich, though that certainly was a bonus.
Not because he was a model, though that certainly spiced up my personal fantasies.
It was simple, pure love. Because he was kind.
"Help me!" I cried, clawing at my captor's arm as he dragged me through the streets of Paris.
"We're coming!" I heard Ladybug snap. I watched her swing forward and stretched out my hands.
The akuma yanked me forward and then I felt a falling sensation.
I was too startled to even scream as I watched the pavement rush up towards me.
Oh God. I was going to die without ever telling Adrien how I felt about him.
I squeezed my eyes shut just as another warm body collided with mine.
"I've got you," I heard a male voice rumble in my ear.
I looked up to find myself in the arms of the new hero, his amber eyes gazing at me with a look of mild indifference.
I gave a shiver. "Put me down!" I demanded.
"We've got the akuma!" Ladybug called down. "Take her somewhere safe, Ren."
Renard Roux looked up and gave a nod, then threw me unceremoniously over his shoulder, taking off at a run in the opposite direction of the akuma, jumping from roof to roof like an acrobat.
I let out a small squeak of surprise, then pounded on his back, kicking my legs. "Down! Down!" I said.
I did not appreciate being manhandled this way. Especially not by this red-haired loser.
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. All of Paris was probably laughing.
"Shut up or I really will drop you," he growled.
"Well good!" I said and then he loosened his grip.
He really was going to drop me!
I squeaked and clung to him, my fingernails digging into his back.
"Thought so," Renard Roux said, a smug tone to his voice. "I'm going to take you back to your home, Chloe. Just be patient. I promise I don't want to deal with you any longer than I have to."
"HEY!" I said.
"Shut up," Renard said in a firm voice.
I put my tongue between my teeth, anger rising up in my chest.
Oh, Adrikins. If only you were here.
I glanced up at the fox out of the corner of my eye.
It'd been six months since he'd appeared. And during those six months, akuma related attacks were on the rise. Where there had once been maybe one every two weeks, there was at least three a week. And each was more powerful than the last.
Most of the city was grateful for Renard's involvement.
I was not.
As far as I was concerned, Ladybug was doing just fine before he showed up.
It was rather suspicious really, his appearance, the increase in akuma attacks, and most importantly…
Most importantly my poor Adrien…
…
Needless to say, I didn't appreciate his company, nor did I really see this as any kind of "rescue". He probably wanted to do some rather vile things to me out of Ladybug's sight.
The sensation of falling came back suddenly and I landed on my butt with a yelp of surprise.
"This should do it," Renard said, turning and walking towards the edge of the roof.
"Hey wait!" I said, scrambling towards him. "This isn't my home!"
He glanced towards me over his shoulder, giving an evil smirk. "What? Are you worried you're going to have to walk?"
I puffed out my cheeks and stood up quickly, my hands on my hips. "You're going to take me home this instant or I'm going to have Daddy exile you from Paris forever!"
He laughed at that. "You're pretty funny, Chloe, you know that?"
"I'm not joking!" I shouted, stomping my foot to punctuate my words.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, his ears twitching. "I'll catch you next time, Chlo." He took a running leap, landing on the house across the street.
I ran to the edge, slamming my hands down on the brick. "Come back here, Renard! Come back! You take me home this instant!"
Even as I shouted, he was getting further and further away, disappearing out of sight.
"GAH!" I screamed in frustration and then stepped back, taking account of where I was.
I…
I looked around.
I didn't recognize this area at all.
"This day can't get any worse!" I shouted.
As if to mock my words, a swarm of ladybugs passed through the sky and suddenly the clouds, which had previously been dispersed by that dreadful akuma, were firmly back in place. I felt something wet hit my head and the next moment it was raining heavily.
"AHHH!" I stomped my feet, jumping around in a circle and gave a sniff.
My eyes stung, but I stubbornly refused to cry.
A Bourgeois never cried. Even when things were as bad as this.
Well, there wasn't much I could do except go down into the street, I supposed. Maybe I could hail a taxi or someone would call Daddy for me…
Yeah, that sounded realistic. Maybe Daddy had already sent out the police looking for me, in which case this should be easy. All I'd have to do was make my presence known…
I looked for a way off the roof and found it quickly, a fire-escape leading down.
I rocked back on my heels and then crouched down, my head in my hands. Maybe there was something wrong with me. That's why all this happened…
At that moment, I heard someone clear their throat.
I turned quickly to see Chat Noir nearby, leaning on his staff. "Figures that he wouldn't actually take you home," he said.
I looked away, my arms crossed. "You knew he was going to dump me here?"
"I wasn't sure," the leather-clad hero said. "But it's something he would do. And he was back to us way too fast to have actually taken you home."
I looked him over. "Are you taking me back home then?"
"Yeah," he said. "That's the plan anyway."
"Hmphf. Fine. Then get on with it," I said, trying to hide how relieved I was at that statement. "I don't have all day and Daddykins is undoubtedly worried."
He gave a faint smile. "Yes, yes, Chloe. I'm sure." He walked over to me and held out his hand.
My breath caught as I looked into his green eyes, a flush coming to my face. I glanced away immediately, taking his hand.
Chat Noir pulled me close to his side and my heart fluttered in my chest.
I had to admit it. Chat Noir was attractive. No, perhaps it wasn't quite that. It was the way he related to me. He seemed so familiar, so warm. I felt like I could trust him. I could put my whole faith in him.
Ugh. What a weird feeling.
And I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt that it wasn't Adrien who brought out that special feeling in me.
"Don't let go," Chat said in my ear, and then immediately took off.
My breath caught in my throat as Chat used his staff to swing from one rooftop to another, all the while his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me along. The wind pelted us with rain, but I didn't really mind. In that moment, it was just Chat and me and-Oh my god, what was I thinking?!
I shook my head, trying to clear the strange thoughts from my mind.
Damn the mangy stray for making me think like this!
"Here we are," Chat said as we landed on my balcony. He let go of me and I took a few steps away, then turned to look at him.
"Thank you for… bringing me home," I said, sucking in a breath.
"No problem," he said casually, giving me a smile.
God dammit.
"Is there something you want?" I asked rudely. "Your mission is done. You brought me home."
He blinked, looking embarrassed. "Right, sorry. I'll be off then," he said and turned to go.
I reached out suddenly, grabbing him by the wrist before he could go. He paused and I looked away, bringing my free hand up to partially obscure my mouth. "And Chat… thank you…" I murmured.
"Anytime you like, Chloe," he said in response. "That's what friends are for, right?"
I started at that, turning towards him, but he slipped out of my hand and took off into the night.
My eyes widened slowly as I watched him go, my heart pounding in my chest.
It couldn't be… no.
I shook my head, running back into my room before any more weirdness could happen and threw myself on my bed.
For a moment there… Chat's voice… sounded exactly like Adrien's…
…
Who was I kidding? It definitely definitely wasn't him. Adrien was way too busy to be masquerading as a superhero in what little free time he had.
I calmed myself with that.
Yeah, I was probably just fooling myself. Next thing you know, I would be thinking Renard Roux of all people was my future husband.
I laughed out loud at that, turning over.
Yeah. Just ridiculous.
I had known for a fact that I was better than everyone else since I was small.
And that meant that I would, of course, naturally be marrying someone on my level.
Blond haired, green eyed model Adrien Agreste was just that.
One stray cat wasn't going to change that. Not for a moment.