Chapter 8
"Well, I don't quite understand what happened today. But thank you for your apology, Ladybug. Let me offer my own apologies to you. I can't believe I hurt so many people."
"It's alright Mme Béliveau." Assured Ladybug, patting the bewildered woman on her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up about it. Le Papillion is the one to blame for all of this."
As the poor woman made her way home to recover from her strange ordeal, the street was left with Chat, Ladybug, Rick and Morty. Chloe had departed with her driver and Sabrina, shaken but not completely traumatised by the events that had unfolded. After all, it couldn't be a bad day when Ladybug saved you! It was a unusual coincidence that the street was nearly empty apart from the four, but no one was going to question it for now. After all, matters had now turned back to the Mona Lisa painting.
"You said you'd leave the painting with us." Chat Noir huffed, clutching the famous painting carefully. "There's no need for you to take one last look at it."
"Ah come on!" Rick threw his hands up in the air. "What? Don't you trust me? I just need to take one last look at it. I'm not taking it!"
The sharp looks Rick got in response was enough to show how much – or indeed, how little- Chat Noir and Ladybug trusted Rick to give the Mona Lisa back to them. Even Morty's face betrayed sceptical feelings about that. Rick made a mental note to take Morty somewhere smelly next time as payback for that.
"Listen, you haven't proven yourself to be the most trustworthy guy, haven't you." Said Ladybug with her hands on her hips. "Like that gun. You said it was out of power, didn't you? How can any of us be sure you're not going to steal it for yourself?"
"Well I didn't want it for myself." Corrected Rick darkly, "As for my gun, I thought I only had enough charge left for our portal home. So sue me if I found out I had more battery than I first assumed and tried to help end the situation! I was only trying to get my grandson back from that damn monster akuma."
Ladybug sighed and shook her head. "Fine. You're still not taking another look at the Mona Lisa. It's going back to the Louvre. Where it belongs."
"Again, those Italians beg to differ." Muttered Rick under his breath. "But anyway, Ladybug, I think I have a solution to our little dilemma. You might even call it a compromise."
Ladybug and Chat shared another unconvinced look between themselves. Which proved to be a bit of a mistake. With their guard momentarily down, Rick dashed over to Chat and nabbed the Mona Lisa painting out of his hands. Before either hero could make a move to wrestle it back, Rick threw the painting up into the air.
"Morty, catch!" He shouted, as he whipped out his portal gun. Ignoring the cries of Ladybug and Chat, as well as the yelp coming from Mort, he turned a switch on the side of his gun. He fired straight at the gun.
A lump formed in Ladybug's throat. She couldn't look. She had no words. How could that guy consider doing that to one of Paris's treasures?
"Ladybug." She heard Chat's soft voice. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Open your eyes. This…This you might want to see."
She turned back to the scene. In the arms of Morty was the Mona Lisa. With another copy of the Mona Lisa.
"Um." Ladybug blinked. The two painting didn't move from Morty's arms. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" She asked Chat hesitantly. "Or did I pass out at some point?"
"If you did, then I must have too." Replied Chat. "But if this is reality, then this isn't the worse outcome. Two copies of the Mona Lisa is better than one. Better than the cat-astrophic alternative, eh?"
"Ha, ha. "She gave him a dry look at the pun. Her attention flickered back to Rick. "But I can't really be looking at two Mona Lisas, can I?"
"No shit, Sherlock." Grunted Rick. "You have eyes, Ladybug."
Eyes she had, that was true. Yet, it didn't make any sense. Did his gun copy the original Mona Lisa? Ladybug wasn't too familiar with guns personally, but she was well aware that they didn't replicate things. However, it had to be said that with that weird Rick around, one shouldn't expect normality.
"Rick, which one is the real Mona Lisa?" Morty scanned back paintings in his hands and couldn't find any clue to tell which was the real one or which was the copy. "Those aliens mightn't be happy if they find out they have a fake copy of it."
"Why Morty, as far as they will ever know, their copy will be the true Mona Lisa." Rick swiped one of the paintings out of his grandson's arms and handed it over to a befuddled Chat. "As for you Frenchies, I doubt any of you will be aware what Gistarian is or where Gistaria even is. So, who cares if they might have the true one or not? No one will tell the difference!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir may not have been able to understand what the hell Gistaria was, but they did grudgingly concede that Rick had a point. The Mona Lisa in Chat's hands could easily be Leonardo Da Vinci's original version. If it was a carbon copy, neither could tell the difference; what with both having the same details and such. Though Chat and Ladybug would have liked to be a hundred percent certain, it wasn't as if they had the time to be quarrelling about it with the Americans.
"Look, we better head off." Sighed Morty. "I'm pretty sure it's nearly morning back home and I've a test first period." He paused for a second before a worn-out look passed over him. Ladybug couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the teenager. She had been in similar situations before.
"Fine, fine."
Rick fiddled with his gun for a moment. With the setting in place, Rick held out his left hand and fired. To Ladybug and Chat Noir's surprise, a lime green light emerged and formed into a jelly like portal. Both Chat and Ladybug gazed at the green light in awe, the sheer oddity of the sight was enough for them to ignore the beeping from their miraculouses. The two of them watched on as both Rick and Morty made their goodbyes and walked through the portal.
It wasn't until Morty gave a last wave that Ladybug and Chat realised what was happening. And at that point, it was too late.
"Huh?" At the last of the beeping, Ladybug could feel Tikki's magic dissolve away, taking awayher disguise and powers. Simultaneously, Chat's black catsuit melted away, leaving his true identity.
The two stared at each other. A shocked silence lasted for less than a second
"…A….Adrien?"
Marinette had never thought her heart could beat so fast.
"Marinette?" Adrien's voice cracked at the revelation.
If someone else had been with the two of them at that moment, they might have been able to pick up on the faint sound of laughter.
And Marinette and Adrien? Well, they were going to have a long talk...
A/N
And that's a wrap! When I first got this idea for a Rick and Morty/ Miraculous Ladybug crossover, I had no idea how to end it. But then, I got the idea for a Chat + Ladybug reveal caused by Rick. Everyone has their own theory on how both Ladybug and Chat will reveal their true identities to one another in canon… So why not one caused by Rick and Morty, eh?
So, I want to offer my thanks to everyone who read this story, followed and left reviews from start to finish. Some of them have greatly motivated me to continue the tale, especially when I was busy with college and personal stuff. I'm so happy that I was able to write something for eight chapters. That may be a small number of chapters to some people, it's encouraging to me that I can actually do it. Hopefully, I can create longer fics in a shorter amount of time!
(And hopefully, we'll see the next season of Miraculous Ladybug and Rick and Morty soon enough too ? )
