It's only the fourth month into their partnership, and Ladybug and Chat Noir already have a kid together. Well, not a real kid of course, they're both far too young to be taking on the challenges of being a parent. It's a fictional child that they made up together on patrol together one night. At this point in their friendship, they're as close as ever, and it goes without saying that they are both each other's best friend. So the most obvious next step in their friendship is to create a fake child together, and act as if he really exists. It's only natural, they both reason.
They are seated at the top of the Eiffel Tower, (one of the perks of being a superhero) having just finished up patrol a few minutes earlier, and both are reluctant to return home, content to bask in one another's presence, and admire the lights that went on for miles. A comfortable silence stretches between them. Ladybug's legs dangle over the edge, and she swings them mindlessly back and forth. She is leaning forward, her eyes bright, as she never fails to be amazed by the breathtaking beauty that is their city in the dead of the night. Chat Noir is leaning back, supporting his weight on the palms of his hands. His shoulder brushes against her's when he shifts to face her. He stares curiously at her as he poses the question.
"Ladybug?"
"Hmm?" the girl by his side hums softly.
"What would our kid together be named?"
Ladybug, startled by his question, whips her head around to face him. A wide, goofy grin stretches across the length of his face, and mirth sparkles in his luminous, verdant irides. She has to fight off the overwhelming urge to snort as she shakes her head, a good-natured smile gracing her lips. "Silly minou. I'm too young to have kids. You're too young to have kids. And you ask as if there's a possibility of that even happening."
"You never know, My Lady. I have plenty more years to work my Chat Noir charm, and successfully get you to fall hopelessly head-over-paws in love with me. Besides, I know we're too young to have kids. But there's no harm in humoring a cat when it comes to the discussion of kittens."
Ladybug blinks at him, and seems to contemplate his response. She comes to the quick conclusion that there is, indeed, no harm in hum oring a cat. "So long as you don't refer to him as a kitten."
"Ooh, him you say? My Lady wants to have a boy?"
"Shh, Chaton. I'm trying to come up with a fitting name now."
She takes the time to think of all the names she has taken a liking to. Obviously the boy will not be named Emma, not matter how much she adores the name. And it goes without saying that the names Louis and Hugo are off-limits, reserved as the names of her and Adrien's future kids. She draws a blank as she addresses her partner. "Well, I have no idea. What do you want our son to be named?"
Chat Noir clasps his hands together, the giddiest she has even seen him. "I've always wanted to have a kid named Sébastien if I'm being honest."
"Sébastien," Ladybug repeats the name, testing the name on her tongue. She nods appreciatively. "That's a good name, minou."
"I try my best, Buginette," he winks cheekily at her. "You know, I'd like to imagine he gets his best attributes from me. Dashing good looks, a certain way with the ladies, and-".
"The same horrible sense of humor that you find absolutely hilarious?" Ladybug supplies, quirking a brow. "I may just have to disown him in that case. I bet he'll even take after you in the fact that he thinks he's a major badass, when in reality he's nothing more than a harmless scaredy cat. Maybe he'll even go through a rebellious stage. He'll sneak out late at night, and won't come home until the wee hours of the morning."
"My Lady, I don't just think I'm a badass. I know I am. And it seems that you've failed to notice that the only reason we're here right now, in the dead of the night, is because we had to sneak out of our houses. And you know that the two of us aren't going to return until the wee hours of the morning. It'd be an unfair double standard to impose on him if we told him he couldn't do the exact same thing."
"You say it as if we're doing it for kicks. We're superheroes for fuck's sake, and I think that entitles us to a free pass."
"Language, LB. Can't have him our son hear you say things like that, and besides, Sébastien is the son of two superheroes. I think if anyone is entitled to a free pass it's him."
"Sébastien himself is not the superhero. And I see what you're trying to do here, Chaton. You're setting me up for failure with my own son. You're going to be the super fun parent that has no boundaries whatsoever, and you're going to make me out to be the really mean parent because I'm going to be the one to lay out all the rules. You're going to be the favorite, and I'm just going to be there. I can't believe you." She is trying to sound exasperated, but the tone in her voice was nothing less than highly amused.
"Hey now, LB. It's not my fur-ault that you're completely overbearing and give our son no purr-ivacy whatsoever. He needs room to grow and make his own mistake. He can't do that if you're constantly breathing down his neck."
"Well, one of us has to be the responsible one in the relationship. -So you think we'll be in a relationship by then?- I mean, not both of us can afford to mess around when we have a family to come home to and take care of. And I resent that comment, by the way. I so do not breathe down his neck. I'm just making sure he's not throwing his life away by making dumb decisions."
"I think I know what's best for my kid, Ladybug!" He was playing the part of an exasperated father caught in an argument with the child's mother regarding their kid's well being rather well. Not to be out done, Ladybug raises her voice slightly as well.
"You mean our kid, Chat Noir!"
After the words spill from both of their mouths they pause, taking the time to reflect upon what they both have just said. They mirror each other's expressions as they regard one another strangely. Ladybug stands abruptly, and Chat Noir follows suit.
"Fuck," Ladybug breathes.
"This is weird," Chat Noir says.
They stare at each other a second longer, before words begin to fall from their lips in a jumble. They keep raising their voices as their partner drowns out what they have to say, and soon they are engaged in a shouting match that, if you pay close enough attention, actually makes no sense whatsoever.
Ladybug calms down first, running her fingers through her fringe, as Chat Noir continues to ramble on about nonsense to himself. She is trying to compose herself and maintain whatever shred of dignity that she has left. Chat Noir is also visibly flustered, but she can tell it's only because she lost her head first. She is Ladybug right now, and Ladybug doesn't stammer and stumble over her words like a blundering fool like Marinette does when she gets flustered. Hell, Ladybug doesn't even get flustered. She clears her throat and laughs slightly, trying to take the edge away from the awkwardness that their previous outbursts have now brought on. Chat Noir cuts himself off, and looks at her, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, Chaton, it's getting a bit late." The spotted heroine places a hand on the cat-themed hero's shoulder, and gives it a light squeeze. She grabs the yo-yo from her waist and smiles softly at him, her eyes lit by mischief. "Gonna need some rest if we have a child to take care of now, right?" She winks coyly at him before she begins to swing away.
Sébastien begins to come up in casual conversation almost every time they meet. And every time he is brought up, Ladybug returns home and reflects upon the conversation that has just taken place, and she can't help but dwell on how bizarre the whole thing is. They refer to Sébastien as if he is an actual child, and their actual son, and not some character they made up because they were bored and got carried away one night.
It has become a habit to mention him, no matter where they are, and what they are doing. Whenever Chat Noir miscalculates a step, or makes a mess of things to save her ass, Ladybug makes a point of turning and shouting over her shoulder to him, something along the lines; "Sébastien would be disappointed!" And whenever she receives a Lucky Charm she has no idea what to do with, Chat Noir takes to grinning impishly at her and saying, "Sébastien would be able to figure it out in no time." And when they celebrate a job well done with their traditional fist bump they exclaim, "Sébastien would be proud!" Alya has caught them on video talking about Sébastien on numerous occasions, and she often questions the superhero duo about it. And every time they brush off her question, or play coy, the Ladyblog blows up with theories of the identity of Sébastien. It's a popular theory that Sébastien is another hero, though in training, and that's why he's yet to make any public appearances.
Ladybug enjoys the time spent discussing Sébastien with Chat Noir, and all his latest (made up) endeavors. They're not sure how old he is, but since he was only created a couple months ago, they agree that's how old he'll be. It's bad though, because neither can remember the exact date of his birth(?). They venture into the topic of his future. What he'll be like when he grows up, what kind of hobbies he'll take up, and what kind of career he wants to pursue. (This often leads to the most ridiculous conversations: What if he grows up to be emo? Buy him a rainbow, obviously, My Lady.) And it's silly, they both realize, to be so invested in the life of a child that doesn't really exist, though this does nothing to deter their ever-growing affection for Sébastien, and Ladybug's growing affections for her partner.
Sometimes, while they question Sébastien's future, they delve into the subject of their own futures. Chat Noir confesses that he eventually wants children when he gets older, and Ladybug admits the same. Slowly but surely Adrien is getting pushed back further and further into the dark recesses of her mind while Chat Noir gladly takes his spot at the forefront and demands more and more of her attention. Attention that is becoming significantly less platonic by each day that passes. He swears to her he'll be an amazing dad one day. Part of her wants to find out if this is true on her own, later on in their lives. He agrees she would be the main provider while he'd take on the role of a stay-at-home dad.
What they don't talk about though, and what they avoid at all costs, is what all this means to them. He flirts with her, and she plays coy and flirts back, and at the end of the day they both go their separate ways. She knows he likes her. And a part of her thinks she may like him, and she can't help but wonder about what could have been. What if Adrien had started public school a little later? Maybe then she would have been able to spend more time with Chat and see him, really see him through untainted eyes that were firm believers in the fact that they had already seen and become acquainted with the one. What if she had listened to Adrien's initial apology regarding the gum incident? Then he wouldn't have had to apologize in the rain, using his umbrella as a sort of symbol of their potential friendship. What if she had just met Chat Noir earlier? Maybe then she wouldn't be so in love with the young model. Maybe, if she could just get over her crush on Adrien, she could actually pursue a real relationship with Chat Noir.
But she won't. Not yet at least. Ladybug won't risk hurting her partner by not being completely over Adrien. So for now she keeps her mouth shut about whatever budding feelings she thinks she may have for the cat-themed hero, and has fun being the fake mom to his fake dad.
She's seventeen now and they're a good couple of years into their partnership. Though, it's not until the next akuma attack that Sébastien finally gets another sibling, and Ladybug and Chat Noir get another child to bicker and worry about.
The akuma they are currently fighting is a young girl who they determines can be no older than the age of four. Ladybug gathers that she was being rather fussy, and throwing a fit because she didn't want to be put down for a nap. Instead, she'd rather be playing dress-up with her princess dolls. WIth a jewel-encrusted tiara perched atop her head, and dressed in an obnoxious pink dress with too many frills, the akuma goes by the name of Princess Pita. (The two superheroes learn that Pita is an acronym for pain in the ass. Chat Noir has fun making up puns for this one.) And, for the most part, she was relatively harmless, putting people to sleep with her wand.
They cleanse her akuma fairly quickly, and it's a rare occasion when neither of them have had to use their special abilities. Marinette has already missed too much of school, and she finds it pointless to return now. Chat Noir is all too happy to remain by her side and keep her company for as long as she wishes. He states that he has nothing better to do, and after a beat of silence, adds that he needs to talk to her about something anyway. This immediately fills her with a sense of dread but she shoves it away. He doesn't sound upset.
"What is it, minou?" She reaches out hand to run through his untamed locks. He leans into her touch, and she giggles slightly as he releases a sound something akin to a purr. "Nothing bad I hope."
"Oh no, nothing like that My Lady. During the battle with Princess Pita, I just couldn't help but notice how utterly adorable that little girl was."
Ladybug glances at him, bemused. "That utterly adorable little girl tried to decapitate you with her tiara, if I remember correctly."
Chat Noir shakes his head. "But you gotta admit, she looked damn cute while trying."
Ladybug laughs breathily as she drags a hand down her face. "Chat Noir, where are you going with this?"
"Well, I was thinking of how it could get lonely as an only child. I speak from experience." Ladybug heart thuds painfully in her chest at his offhand comment. She shifts a little closer so that there is no space between their bodies now. If he notices, he chooses not to comment. "Maybe it's about time Sébastien has a younger sibling. A baby sister this time around."
Laydbug's hand stills in his hair. 'This is so strange,' she thinks to herself, because it is, but it has somehow become just so normal for them, and if Chat Noir doesn't mind, and he's happy, who the hell is she to take that happiness away from him? "You know, normal couples don't get to decide the gender of their baby when the woman gets pregnant."
. . .
She's done it again. She's opened her mouth and something incredibly awkward has spewed out, though it doesn't usually happen around her partner. Two things jump out at her in the sentence. One being the word couple, which they are not, and the other being pregnant, which implies sex. And if she starts thinking about having sex with Chat Noir, it's a road she knows she'll never come back from.
Chat Noir pulls away from her, and the hand that had been previously tangled in his hair falls limply to her side. He chuckles lowly. "Sometimes I don't stop and appreciate just how incredibly awkward these conversations can get. We're not even dating, we've never even had sex before, and yet we have children."
Ladybug flushes, and turns her head away from him so that he doesn't notice. "Fake, and only one child," Ladybug corrects immediately, choosing to ignore everything else he said.
Chat Noir gasps dramatically and out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug notices how he places a hand over his heart, clutching it. She rolls her eyes, but smiles nevertheless. "My Lady, please don't let the children hear you say that, or else they'll think you don't love them. And denying the existence of Kiwi is only going to hurt her feelings, and she'll be inconsolable."
"Kiwi?!" Ladybug cries in feigned outrage, whirling on him. "You've taken it upon yourself to name our one and only daughter after a goddamn fruit?! A fruit I don't even like for that matter!"
"Ha! So you admit it! We do have a daughter!"
"Not a daughter named Kiwi of all things!"
"No, no, her name's not Kiwi-".
"I clearly just heard you call her Kiwi."
Chat Noir shakes his head. "Kimberly. Her name is Kimberly. And because we're utterly adorable parents we gave her the nickname Ki. -Or maybe you're just really lazy, and you can't even be bothered to say your daughter's full name.- And because that just wasn't cute enough, we decided to call her Kiwi!"
Ladybug falls silent as he grins toothily at her. Begrudgingly she admits, "I suppose that is a little cute. . . But only a little."
Chat Noir sighs dreamily. "Our little Purr-ince and Purr-incess. The rulers of our hearts and our future life choices. I couldn't be more in love."
And when their eyes meet, she can't help but agree with him. She couldn't be more in love either. But with who is what troubles her later on that very night.
Fuck. It hurts. It hurts more than anything, and she can't help but wonder if she's meant to feel this awful. Ladybug had known, she had always known that this would eventually have to come to an end. That she would have to give up her miraculous because they had finally accomplished what they had set out to do years ago. They had finally defeated Hawkmoth.
She told herself she would be fine. That was a lie. She had even told Chat that she would be alright. And he too was seeing first-hand that she hadn't been telling the truth. It wasn't her fault. She truly thought that she would be okay. He'd been able to see past her false bravado though. He knew her better than she knew herself. And that only made matters so much worst.
It wouldn't last. It couldn't last. Of course, Ladybug had realized this from day one. If it it didn't happen now, it would only happen even later down the road. That didn't really matter though because there was no amount of time that would make saying goodbye easier. Her experiences as the heroine of Paris were magnificent. Hawkmoth had her in a constant state of turmoil and unrest. Their city had been on the brink of disaster more than its fair share of times. She wouldn't change any part of the past few years for the world. She welcomed the certain amount of havoc the supervillain brought to her life with open arms, because it soon came to mean one thing for her; she'd get to see her partner.
Speaking of partners.
Ladybug hugs Chat Noir tighter, her arms wrapped around his torso, unwilling to let go. Her face is buried in his shoulder as she tries (and fails) to hold back tears. Even after all this time, she's still unwilling to let him see her cry. He rubs his hand up and down her back in a soothing manner, and Ladybug has to choke back a sob.
"I don't- I can't-," Ladybug breaks off, her voice cracking, and she shakes her head. Tears cascade freely down her cheeks and she hates it.
Chat Noir's hands drift down, and his fingers gently wrap around her wrists. He disentangles her body from his. Quickly, she snatches her arms away so that she can wipe at her face, as Chat Noir places his hand on her shoulders. "Buginette, look at me." She doesn't. Above her, he sighs heavily. She takes a step back, rubs vigorously at her eyes, and lowers her hands to peek up at him. The smiles he wears is small, and so obviously forced, and if possible, her heart breaks just a little more at the sight.
"Don't cry because of me, alright? I'm not really worth it, I promise."
She feels bad about putting her best friend in this position, but she just can't seem to pull herself together. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to have to miss you!" I don't want to say I love you.
Because it's true. She loves him. Ladybug loves Chat Noir. Marinette Dupain-Cheng loves whoever the boy is behind the mask. If only it hadn't taken her this long to figure it out. She could stop it, whatever this is, right here and right now. Put an end to whatever onslaught of pain will be brought on in the years to follow, caused by losing one another. All she has to do is murmur three little words. Three little words and her transformation will drop, and they won't have to say goodbye. But she won't do it.
She's a coward. That's all there is to it. She knows that if she takes down her defenses first, and lets her transformation drop, Chat Noir will follow, raising no qualms or objections, because he's been waiting for that moment for how many years now? But he won't make the first move because he respects the boundaries she'd put up when he first raised the questions of a reveal. She doesn't know what's holding her back. The fear of losing her kitten is far more significant than the fear of rejection at this point. But, for whatever reason, she just can't bring herself to do it.
"I know. I feel the same way My Lady."
She uses the back of her gloved hand to wipe at her face. "You shouldn't have to," Ladybug whispers, more to herself than to him.
He doesn't say anything. Merely pulls her into another tight embrace and murmurs soothing words into her ears. Eventually she pulls herself together and they're able to maintain a normal conversation. Talk, joke, and mess around like nothing is wrong. It's almost as if she can pretend everything's okay. Almost as if, by this tomorrow, they won't revert back to their normal lives for the rest of their days. Normal lives where they are complete strangers.
When the sun starts to makes its presence known, creeping along the skyline, casting them in a warm glow, and it's only then that they both realize how truly tired they are, and how long they've stayed out, basking in one another's company.
Today is the day they return the miraculous to Master Fu. Today is her last day with Tikki. The last time she'll ever bid adieu to Chat Noir. The last time she'll ever see the love of her life's face. Or, rather, lack thereof.
Chat Noir brings her hand to his lips, interrupting her traitorous thoughts, and winks. Her heart begins beating erratically as she realizes this is the last time this exchange will ever take place.
"I've decided," Chat Noir announces as he straightens.
"You've decided what, silly minou?"
"I've decided that you can literally forget everything about me, so long as you remember Sébastien and Kiwi."
Ladybugs breath catches in her throat as she gazes at him. His shoulders are hunched, as if he's unsure of something, and the smile he sends her way is undecipherable. She laughs breathily, without humor or amusement. "Oh, chaton. I could never forget a single thing about you."
Chat Noir raises his hand and holds out his pinkie. "Yeah, but- just promise."
Ladybug nods, and intertwines her smallest finger with his. "I promise. Do you?"
"I do."
"Sébastien!" Marinette cries, laughing loudly as the young boy in question's grip on her hand tightens. He continues to quite literally drag her along behind him. "Where are we going?"
"I saw Kimberly!" Sébastien informs her excitedly as his head snaps around.
Ah, Kimberly. Marinette smiles slightly as she hears the name fall from the child's lips, bringing with it fond memories from almost a decade ago. Kimberly is Sébastien's infamous best friend, and the girl who stars in all the stories he brings home from school.
"Sébastien!" Marinette hears a new voice shout from somewhere not too far off in the distance in the park. Her head snaps up just as her son drops her hand in favor of running to the new voice. The owner is a young girl who she can only assume is Kimberly. Long, pale blonde hair flows beyond her as she runs just as eagerly to her friend. They meet one another halfway and embrace, pulling apart quickly so they can chatter, waving their hands wildly in the air. Marinette approaches them and places a hand on her son's head, ruffling his dark locks.
Sébastien whips his head around to beam at her, displaying his missing two front teeth. "Maman, this is Kimberly!" His dark eyes gleam happily as he peers up at her, awaiting her reaction.
Marinette turns her warm smile to Kimberly as she nods her head in greeting. "Hello there, little miss Kimberly. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Kimberly giggles slightly as she waves and begins to jump in place. "I met your maman, and now you can also meet my papa!" A pout forms on her lips as she twists her head around to look behind her. "He should have been following me. . . Oh wait! There he is! Papa!"
Kimberly sticks her hand in the air and waves it around vigorously. Marinette raises her head and looks around, trying to place the girl's father. She squints slightly as a man wanders toward them, sunglasses perched atop his head and hands tucked casually into his jean pockets. She gasps slightly as she recognizes the man to be her former classmate, crush, and friend: Adrien Agreste. Her eyes flick to Kimberly standing before her. Her hair is a lighter shade than his, and her green eyes more reminiscent of chartreuse than Adrien's verdant ones, but their faces are one in the same, and she can only imagine this is what Adrien looked like as a six year-old.
"My, my, Adrien Agreste, look at you. All grown up, back in Paris, and with a daughter. I'm impressed," Marinette says teasingly when Adrien is standing right behind Kimberly.
Adrien squeaks and blanches, as if he's not used to being recognized, and his hand flies up to cover his face. Marinette can't help the laugh that bubbles to the surface, and the children watch their exchange with curious eyes. His hand floats down after a second, and he peeks at her, before his eyes light up.
"Marinette?!" he asks, his lips quirking up.
"Hi!" she laughs, placing her hands on Sébastien's shoulders. He's gone back to his own conversation with his friend, uninterested with what's going on with Marinette and Adrien.
"Is that- that your son?" Adrien gestures to Sébastien.
Marinette leans down to wrap her arms around his small body, cradling his back against her chest. He giggles, and whines when she places a sloppy, wet kiss to his cheek, but doesn't push her away. "Yes it is! The absolute love of my life, Sébastien."
"Ah, that's great," Adrien tells her. She notices as his eyes grow distant and a small, wistful overtakes his features when she proclaims Sébastien's name, as if remembering a fond memory associated with the name. But he shakes it off quickly as he scoops Kimberly up in his arms and mimics Marinette's actions, pressing his lips to her cheek. "And this is my daughter, Kiwi!"
"Papa!" Kimberly squeals as Marinette's eyes widen at the nickname. "I told you, call me Kimberly outside!"
A familiar impish grin crosses his face as he sets her down. Except, it's not an expression she's used to seeing on him, so much as she's used to seeing it on another blond-haired green eyed boy.
Her grip on Sébastien tightens and he finally begins to struggles against her hold, but her hold doesn't lessen as she stares at the man before her. "Chat. . .?" The question stumbles from her lips before she can think twice about it.
Adrien's head snaps up so quickly she thinks the action may have caused him whiplash. The strange look in his eyes confirms all that she needs to know as his mouth drops open. Tears prick at the corners of her eyes as a strangled laugh escapes her throat.
"Well," she chokes out, nodding her head at Sébastien and then Kiwi. "At least neither of us broke the promise."
And she's not sure whether Adrien's expression is one of elation, shock, or even horror as her vision blurs over, but she's sure that her face mirrors his.
so like. yeah. i left this as a wip for like, a month, and it was intended to have a happy ending originally, but then i picked it up, re-read it, and said, nah.
and if there's any questions about the title. Sébastien means venerable (or Sebastian does, but they're the same name) and Kimberly means something about a royal forest(?). combined the two, and gasped because wow, this has to be the best title i've ever come up with. and chat noir also refers to Seb and Kiwi as their little prince and princess.
also, sorry if the ending seems a bit, rushed, for lack of better wording. like i said, this was going in a completely different direction soooo. anywho, yeah.
dedicated to the friend who i created fake children with, which led to many awkward conversations, and lots and lots of feelings left unsaid between us two. :]]]
hmu on tumblr if you wanna chat.