As it was, Ladybug felt bad for dragging him to the plushie sewing panel. She therefore insisted that he pick their next panel. Despite his reasoning that it had been upon his request that the go to the AMV panel, she argued that it was a mutual choice. She said that they had gone to support a friend and so his choice had been void. The fact she considered his friend one of her friends was oddly satisfying. It left him feeling rather helpless. After much deliberation and the fact they were running out of time for panels, Adrien decided that his best option was to pick a panel that would impress her.
Mock Combat.
He took sword fighting after school, beating a bunch of guys with foam weapons shouldn't be too hard, especially when he had a lovely Ladybug cheering him on. That was, until, he realized she would be joining in on the fighting. They had been lined up by the panel holder and given weapons. Chat had a foam-tipped staff at his side. He glanced worriedly over to Ladybug. She was weighing her toy sword in hand, swinging it slightly as if trying to get used to the balance of it.
"Er, we could always try a different panel," Adrien insisted.
He didn't think his heart would be able to take it. While this was an intermediate level mock combat class, the other 'players' in the room often got rough and they fought dirty. A couple of them were already talking amongst themselves, sniggering over the few girls who had decided to join the 'class'. Really Adrien just saw it as a place for guys to beat the crap out of each other with foam weapons but now that someone else was involved he was worried. Once or twice (in conventions before he met Ladybug), Adrien had even walked away with bruises from some not so subtly placed kicks or punches.
"It'll be okay, Kitty," Ladybug assured her.
Chat wasn't so sure. He didn't want her to get hurt. He also did not want her to blame him if she did, especially if she did not want to hang out anymore. He didn't want to lose a friend because of a silly accident. He would just have to make sure to be on his guard, watch her back a little more closely, take a hit or two if he had to. He would keep his Ladybug safe and try to make sure she had a good time. As long as his face wasn't bruised, his father wouldn't care how banged up he got, particularly because of his model lifestyle.
"She'll be fine. I'll watch after her," a new voice injected.
The duo looked up in slight confusion, mostly from Ladybug since she was probably certain her Chat would have said something like that but it was obviously not him. Adrien's eye twitched in slight annoyance. It was Chat Blanc – the antagonist of their comic book series. This Chat was larger than Adrien was. He had a huge foam broadsword and worst of all, it didn't look like had a hard time lifting it. This man was a heavy hitter, whereas Adrien and Ladybug were more of speedy fighters. They were probably faster than he was, especially with that shield in hand.
"Don't you worry my Lady, no one will get past me." The Chat Blanc vowed.
Chat Blanc took Ladybug's hand and attempted to give it a kiss. Adrien growled under his breath, already lifting his staff before the proctor said go. He would get kicked out of the panel for sure if he struck first but he wasn't about to let this guy start kissing all over Ladybug. However, Ladybug was ready, like she usually was. She pulled her hand back just before Chat Blanc kissed her and took a step closer to Adrien. He stood protectively at her side, weapon ready and a dark glare on his face, warning the lighter colored Chat off.
"Cosplay is not consent," Ladybug said firmly. "I have a partner already."
Adrien knew he was being protective of Ladybug but he could not help himself. Yes, cosplay was not consent. It's why he always asked if she was okay with something before he did anything. She was just as human as he was, not some doll for him to ogle and it was certainly not okay for someone to do something that would make her uncomfortable just because she was wearing a costume. Adrien would fight that one to his last breath if he had to, but he really hoped it didn't come down to it.
"Okay, now that you've got your weapons, we're going to pick teams, red weapons, on my side, blue weapons on the other side."
Adrien looked to his weapon quickly. He felt himself pale. For a moment, he felt dizzy. Blue. Then he hurriedly looked over at Ladybug. Red. Why on earth hadn't they picked the same color weapons? This was his fault. He should have done something. He frantically looked around. The teams were already starting to split up. Not good. Not good. Chat Blanc smirked in triumph, eyes glittering darkly as that smug expression landed between the duo. He had a red weapon as well. Adrien couldn't protect her from her own team, nor could he protect her from his own so he quickly turned to her, trying to talk her out of this before they got roped in.
"My Lady-"
"Go on Chat, I'll see you after this is done," Ladybug said.
Adrien hesitated. He reluctantly walked over to the blue side. From where he was standing, he could see Chat Blanc looming right behind Ladybug, watching her every move like a wolf about to eat the sheep. It boiled Adrien's blood. Adrien wasn't typically prone to violence but he did not like how the other man was looking at his friend. How was he supposed to protect her if they were on opposite sides? He couldn't change his weapon. There weren't enough to go around.
"That guy…" someone said. "Is he messing with your girlfriend?"
Adrien looked up to see who was talking to him now, but it was harder to do than usual since he was still trying to keep his eyes on Ladybug and that other Chat Noir. There was a red headed boy next to him. He vaguely remembered the character's name was Evillustrator. The red head readjusted his grip on his short sword. The teen looked concerned about something and that set Adrien on edge. If this stranger was worried about the second Chat and had only been watching for a few seconds, something had to be wrong.
"Yeah." Adrien grunted.
"Okay." The boy said, "That guy has been a problem all weekend with con-ops. I'm a staffer…"
"Huh?"
Adrien twitched. The guy has been a problem? And now he was being troublesome to his Ladybug! Chat wasn't jealous or anything. But the obvious distress from Ladybug was apparent as she tried to edge away from him. Chat Blanc did not seem to realize that he was crossing a line, that he had gone too far and was three seconds away from Chat Noir springing into action. Evillustrator seemed to chuckle to himself. He put his sword out in Chat's way to keep him from bounding over to Chat Blanc.
"He keeps hitting on all the girls dressed like Ladybug. So… well, your Ladybug is next."
Oh no she was not! Not if Adrien could help it. His grip on his staff had the leather of his gloves crinkling in protest. The smug smirk that was sent his way by the Chat in white leather made Adrien's blood boil. That was his partner. She was his friend. Even if he didn't know her name, they were together at this convention and this new Chat was threatening to take that away from him. That was something that Adrien was not going to stand for.
"Do you mind fighting Ladybug for me? I need to teach this guy a lesson."
"Nah, it's no big deal," Evillustrator said. "Besides, some guys are kind of thoughtless when they fight."
Adrien smiled. If this were the comics, fans would be raging by now. A hero making a deal with a villain? Never mind that it was a villain who also had a crush on the same person as Chat! Though, Adrien was grateful for the help. He felt like it was also the out that Evillustrator needed. It didn't seem like he was really the fighting type and Ladybug wouldn't hurt him if he did not hurt her. The duo shook on it, earning an odd look from Ladybug from across the room. She had been watching them, when she hadn't been trying to edge away from Chat Blanc that was.
A whistle sounded the start of the mock fight.
Adrien lunged at Chat Blanc like this was a life or death battle over Ladybug, which it really felt like it was. Adrien wasn't threatened by Chat Blanc's presence but he also did not want to subject Ladybug to this shameful mockery any longer than he had to. His staff clashed with Chat Blanc's sword. From over his shoulder, he could see Ladybug fighting Evillustrator. It helped put him to ease, since it appeared the two of them were more at a similar fighting level and were staying well out of everyone's way. No one else was trying to cut in on their fight since they were too busy with their own.
"What's the matter Noir, scared I'm gonna steal your girl away?"
"Purr-lease!" Adrien huffed, "She has better taste in Chats than you."
Chat Blanc twitched in anger. He shifted his weight and tried overpowering Adrien with sheer strength. It was times like this, when Adrien was glad his father had put him into fencing. He knew he wasn't a particularly strong person, but he knew how to fend for himself. Adrien slipped back, letting Chat Blanc stagger forward since Adrien was no longer there to balance his weight. The larger teen stumbled and Chat Noir took that as his chance.
Marinette was more than a little worried when Chat Blanc went after Chat Noir. She didn't want the blonde boy who had been her guide/companion for the con to get hurt. Chat Blanc had boasted about how he did this stuff all the time, how he was so good at this he had trophies. That didn't impress Marinette very much. Actually, Chat Blanc was more of an annoyance than anything. She would have liked it if her yo-yo prop had been real because she would have just zipped out of there, but sadly, a prop was still a prop at the end of the day, incapable of the magnificent feats it could accomplish on the pages of a comic book.
But she wasn't able to keep fully occupied by Chat versus Chat. She was challenged by Evillustrator. The two of them playfully bat at one another, making sure not to swing too hard. There were lots of apologies issued when they either hit the other or their grip on their swords slipped. Obviously, sword fighting was not for the either of them, something the red headed boy and red clad girl could laugh over.
"Geeze, they're really going at it," Evillustrator commented. "Chat Noir was serious."
"Huh?"
"The other guy's been causing problems all weekend. Guess you could say that when I told Chat Noir, it really got under his fur."
"Don't you start too," Marinette said automatically.
She lowered her sword, as did her opponent. Out of breath and certainly not getting a second wind back, she decided to walk over to the side and get a drink. Evillustrator followed. He stopped at the water jug and got them both a cup of water. The nice thing about conventions was that they provided free water throughout the hallway; sadly it was because most people forgot to stay hydrated if the reminder wasn't out in the open. People also tended to forget to eat or forget to sleep because there was so much going on that they didn't want to miss a thing.
"Your boyfriend is pretty protective."
"Uh h-he's not – we're not – We've just met!" Marinette protested.
She was glad she hadn't taken a drink yet. She was already spluttering as if she had. She gripped the plastic cup in her hand, feeling the flimsy plastic twist so she loosened her grip enough not to crack the cup. No need in spilling water all over her because she was being reckless. She avoided looking at Evillustrator. This was so embarrassing. She wanted the group to open up and swallow her whole so she didn't have to deal with this.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed… I wonder why Chat didn't say anything when I asked." Evillustrator said.
Marinette looked at him and then to Chat. Had Chat insinuated that they were an item? She was left feeling a little uncomfortable. She liked Chat. Yes. But she liked Adrien too. She knew Adrien. He was in her class. Anything she started with Chat was probably not going to work out. She didn't even know where Chat lived, if he wasn't local, the distance would kill whatever relationship they had. Friendship was even a stretch. All that and she still didn't even know his name.
