A/N: As a fair warning, this is rated 'T' for a reason. Nothing happens any further than kissing (unless you count a teenager's dirty thoughts). Don't ask me why it happened like this, because I honestly don't know. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for angst and feels today. Hopefully you enjoy it anyway, though. And please don't hate me after this. I mean, how else would she get him to drop his guard anyway?
The ceiling is becoming increasingly interesting to Ladybug. The patterns painted upon it twist together in endless combinations, each more intricate than the last, the longer she stared. It didn't seem as though she could looked away anyway, even if she did want to. She tried. Something must be wrong with her neck. Perhaps that thought should have been more alarming, but based on that logic, she should also be worried about the ringing in her ears. Most of her energy though is already being spent struggling to keep her eyes open. To just stay awake a little longer. She can't remember why. She can't waste time trying to remember when her eyelids are getting heavier by the second.
Something crashes into the ceiling nearby and some shakes some loose pieces of plaster from their places. They land on her face and, shakily, Ladybug reaches up and brushes them away with a choppy motion. When she does though, something warm, sticky, and wet drips onto her cheek. Ladybug holds her hand up to the light, squinting to see through her hazy vision.
Oh, that's right.
She had momentarily forgotten about the blood on her hands. It's not hers, of course. Her miraculous prevents her from getting any serious physical injuries during battle.
It's Alya's blood, clearly.
The thought sobers her some and, with a great deal of effort, Ladybug rolls on to her side so that she can see her friend. Alya had been tossed into the wall for trying to get close to their latest villain, Thorn. Unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir, Alya didn't have any protection and was knocked unconscious upon contact.
What happened after that was Ladybug's fault.
She had let herself get distracted; spent one second too long kneeling next to Alya's limp form. Of course, Thorn had seen her opportunity and she took it. Ladybug hadn't even noticed the attack coming until it hit her. Literally.
She groans, trying to sit up, only to drop back to the ground. With tired eyes she watches Chat Noir battle the villain but, no matter what scenario she plays through her head, Ladybug just can't see this fight ending in a victory.
Despair crashes over her and, as if by magic, her senses return. The ringing in her ears stops, replaced by Chat Noir's grunts and labored breathing as he struggles to keep fighting. Here vision stops swimming, and she can see the blood dripping through her fingers with such clarity that it almost makes her sick. Almost. Her stomach isn't that weak, after all.
Wobbling, Ladybug climbs unsteadily to her feet. She has to lean against the wall for support though, much to her frustration and embarrassment. She clenches a fist tightly, staring with resentment at Thorn as she dodges everything Chat throws at her. When her vision blurs once more, it takes Ladybug a moment to realize that she's crying.
Determined, she takes a step towards her partner, reaching for her yo-yo.
And immediately collapses back onto her knees.
The tears don't matter, she decides. She's failed. She's failed Paris, Alya, Chat Noir, the girl who had been akumatized, and, most importantly, herself. There's nothing she can do to win this now.
The thought makes her both furious and depressed at the same time. Her shoulders slump, and her body shakes with the force of her sobs. She tries to keep it quiet, though. No sense in distracting Chat Noir and fucking this mess up even further.
If only she had been faster, stronger, or better in any way. Maybe she could have gotten Alya out or defeated Thorn before it even came to such a thing. If only she had more power, then maybe she could fix this and do something right.
Ladybug doesn't think twice about it when a black butterfly flies suspiciously close to her yo-yo. She doesn't care when it fazes through her weapon and a mask made of purple light appears around her eyes.
"Coccinelle." Hawk Moth's voice whispers in her mind, tempting her with a taste of power, "I believe you're already familiar with my identity, so we'll skip the introductions." She can feel him smirking, despite the miles that must be separating them. "I'll give you the power to win this. You can save both of them. In return for yours and Chat Noir's miraculouses, of course. You won't be a superhero anymore, but you'll all be alive. Which is really more important right now, hm?"
She nods, climbing surely to her feet without assistance as the power courses through her every cell. Her suit drains of color, all the red pooling into the ground and leaving her outfit white and sleak. Much more… deadly.
"Of course, Hawk Moth." she agrees with a malicious grin. "You can have our miraculouses as soon as I'm finished up here…"
She takes a step forward, watching in amusement when Thorn looks over at her and shudders. Coccinelle's grin widens, revealing a rather impressive set of pointed teeth. That's right. she thinks to herself as Thorn takes a step back. Be afraid. I'm done being so merciful.
Chat Noir, finally seeming to realize how terrified his opponent is, follows her gaze. His eyes widen and he temporarily loses the ability to speak, but Coccinelle pays him no mind. She has her sights set upon the enemy, and she won't look away until it's over.
Chuckling quietly to herself, she takes her new weapon into her hands. Her yo-yo is barely recognizable now. Like her outfit, it is now white, though the black spots remain. Spikes of varying size lines the ridges, making it especially effect for a head shot. The rope that always brought her yo-yo back had thickened and hardened until it was a chain in some places and another material entirely in others. Essentially, what she now wields isn't a yo-yo. It's a medieval flail.
And Coccinelle can't wait to try it out.
She strikes fast, not wanting to give Thorn the opportunity to escape. The flail is surprisingly easy to lift and, moving at speeds that shouldn't be possible with such a heavy weapon, she dives at Thorn. The girl's eyes widen, and she makes an attempt to dodge.
It's too late though.
Coccinelle is on an entirely different level. She can see fifteen steps ahead in any direction. She knows what's going to happen before it happens, and it thrills her, making her giddy with power. Why had she ever considered Hawk Moth a threat? All he was doing was giving people the means to end their problems. And for what? Two trinkets that pale in comparison to what he offers? More than worth it, she decides. It's not her fault she's always been the target, after all. She's just the person attached to the miraculous. Getting rid of them all together will make everything in her life so much simpler.
Her flail makes contact with Thorn's small body, harshly slamming her against the wall and cutting off the scream that was building in the girl's throat. Chat Noir looks on with horror, and Coccinelle just smiles. Being the bad guy was more fun than she thought. No wonder so many people before her had given into Hawk Moth's temptations. Who could resist this?
She raises her weapon, preparing to strike again, harder, and Thorn lets out a small, barely audible whimper. The sound only makes Coccinelle want to laugh, though the small part of her inside that is still Ladybug begs her to stop. It's not her inner emotions that make her stop, however. Well, not really.
Moving quickly with his cat-like reflexes, Chat Noir appears in front of her, one hand gripping her wrist tightly, his expression tight. "Ladybug, stop." He says lowly, taking in what used to be his partner with sad eyes.
Coccinelle tisks, yanking her wrist back from him. He lets her go, but doesn't move from his position in front of her. The two stare at each other for a long time, testing the other, seeing who will make the first move. The silence is broken by a low groan from Thorn.
She makes a move to approach her fallen foe, but Chat Noir blocks her path, crossing his arms stubbornly. Coccinelle rolls her eyes but, begrudgingly, tucks her flail away so she can't use it without him knowing first. He raises a brow suspiciously, not wanting to trust her, but he doesn't attempt to stop her when she brushes past him and approaches Thorn. She sighs and kneels down, ripping the black corsage from her chest.
Stood up at the school dance in front of everyone. One of the worst forms of public humiliation a girl like her can suffer through. Had she been herself, Coccinelle might have actually felt sorry for the girl. She doesn't waste time on emotions, though. Instead, she drops the corsage to the ground and crushes the thing beneath her heels. Once it's been ground into a fine paste, a signal black butterfly flutters gracefully out.
Coccinelle narrows her eyes, reaching for her weapon. Chat Noir moves to stop her, but she moves too fast. Her flail comes crashing down almost silently, obliterating the akuma easily with just the one strike. He looks on, petrified, at the fine, black powder that was once a living creature.
He swallows hard and looks away, not able to keep watching the person he once knew and loved. No matter who she looks like, the person standing in front of him most certainly isn't Ladybug.
She puts her flail away and reaches out, grabbing his hand tightly. "My name is Coccinelle." She says stiffly, shaking his hand in a robotic motion. "And I think you know what my goal is now." He hadn't noticed at first, too busy trying to stay calm, but even though she had stopped shaking his hand, she hadn't loosened her grip.
Eyes widening, he takes a quick step back, trying to rip his hand from her grasp, but she just holds on tighter. His ring digs into his skin harshly, but he can't bring himself to care. As long as it stays there, then the pain is nonexistent. He can't let her take his miraculous. No matter what he has to do to stop her.
"It will make things a lot simpler if you just hand it over." She tells him impatiently. "I don't want to resort to drastic measures, but Hawk Moth made it very clear what is expected of me now that I've stopped Thorn. I don't know why you can't just make this easier for yourself."
Chat Noir shakes his head, determined not to just hand over the only way he can help her. "And I don't know why you think it's going to be as easy as asking nicely." He shakes his head. "You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to declaw this cat."
Coccinelle smirks, as if she was waiting for him to say something like that. "That sounds like a challenge, partner." She purrs lowly, peering at him with a half-lidded gaze. "And unlike Ladybug, I think you'll find that I'm much more willing to go the extra mile in order to accomplish my goals."
He tilts his head to the side, confused and strangely… excited? The second he opens his mouth to question her though, he finds that his mouth has been covered. By her own mouth. Which is moving softly against his in a way that makes him want to purr and- oh fuck, Ladybug is kissing him. But it's not actually her in the driver's seat, of course. It's Coccinelle.
The thought sobers him some, but despite that, it's still harder than it should be to push her away. She's everything Ladybug isn't. She plays dirty, gets desperate, and has the sort of sexual confidence that should be impossible for a sixteen year-old to possess. The only thing even remotely Ladybug about Coccinelle is her hair. Even her eyes aren't their same. They're darker, closer to her hair color than bluebells, and heavy with lust.
The sight makes his chest tighten, and he has to fight to remember that she's not Ladybug. She's not the women he loves, she's a fake. A poor copy of what once was.
When he goes to pull away though, noticing how close she has gotten, Coccinelle turns up the pressure. She grabs him by the bell hanging around his collar and yanks him yet closer, pressing their lips together once more. This time though, instead of starting out slow, she goes hot and heavy immediately. Her tongue dips inside his mouth with ease, as he's too shocked to do much besides stand there. Her hands drape themselves around his shoulders, loose, but tight enough that he knows it's impossible to pull away.
The urge to give in, to just enjoy it while he can, is almost overwhelmingly strong. The only thing that stops him is the knowledge that she doesn't want this. Not really. Maybe Coccinelle is doing it to get closer to his ring (he can already feel her hand sneaking oh so sensually down his arm) but Ladybug doesn't like him that way. Not yet, at least. And taking something as meaningful as this from her… just isn't right. So Chat Noir does the only thing he can think to do in a situation as delicate as this.
He bites down on her tongue. Hard.
Coccinelle cries out in pain, pulling away so abruptly that he doesn't even feel her move. Using her temporary shock to his advantage, he uses a move that Ladybug taught him through first-hand experience one fateful Valentine's day. He grabs her by the wrist and swings her over his shoulders, keeping her in place with ease thanks to the strength boost he gets from being Chat Noir.
Her flail hangs from her waist and he grabs it, tossing her to the ground as far away as he can once he gets what he wants. Of course, he flinches at the sound of her hitting the cement ground, but apologizes can wait until later. He grips the wooden handle surely and, without pausing to consider his actions, snaps it in half over his leg.
A black butterfly comes fluttering out as the broken weapon clatters to the ground. Immediately, the flail turns back into her yo-yo and, to his relief, is once again red.
He picks it up, a happy sigh escaping his lips, and turns to face Ladybug. She groans in pain and winces, rubbing her head as she climbs to her feet. "What just happened?" She mumbles groggily, looking to him for answers.
"No time to explain just yet." He tells her hastily, looking over his shoulder to make sure the butterfly is still there. "Capture the akuma, and then I'll tell you."
Ladybug nods, though she still seems unsteady, and he watches her carefully as she makes quick work of capturing and releasing the poor butterfly. It's oddly satisfying, after watching Coccinelle completely demolish the last one, to see it flying free. Even if the wave of pink that's fixing everything is kind of distracting.
After a moment of silence, he turns to Ladybug, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "So, any questions, My Lady? You know I'm always happy to help." He throws in a playful wink, just for good measure.
"Yeah, my tongue hurts." She grimaces, gingerly pressing a finger against a rather nasty looking cut across the surface of her tongue. "You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?" Chat's face flushes hot, and he looks away, innocently whistling a nameless tune. She glares at him suspiciously. "Chat, what did you-"
Luckily, his ring chooses that moment to beep, alerting him that he'll be changing back soon. "Well, would you look at the time?" He smiles a fake smile, hoping to convince her that he has nothing to do with her swollen tongue. "Looks like we'll have to play '20 Questions' later. You need to help out Alya, anyway." He bows deeply to her, as he always does. When she gives him the chance, that is.
Seeing Ladybug open her mouth to demand answers though, Chat acts without thinking. In a second, he's by her side, one hand on her waist as he presses a short and sweet kiss to her cheek. "Til' tomorrow, M'Lady." He winks, and ducks out the door before she realizes what just happened and yells at him.
Ladybug blinks, and a smile inches its way onto her face. She presses a hand to the spot where he kissed her, sighing fondly. At some point, she going to have to work out her feelings for Chat Noir. After all, she can't have both him and Adrien. For now though, she can just be a girl in love. "Until, tomorrow my kitty…"
A/N: . . .
Yeah, I'm not apologizing for art (this was a much more serious story in my head though (sorry, not sorry)).