A/N: Hi guys! I uh...don't know how else to begin an author's note after being inexplicably absent for a month and a half, but hi!
Honestly, the break was well needed, so thanks for being patient with me. My little vacation let me get excited about this fic all over again, so now I'm back with more ideas, more puns, and more...I don't know, moxie maybe?
Regardless, here's a no-strings-attached little fic to get back into the swing of things (pun intended). Disclaimer: I am not a ballroom dancer, and I apologize if anything I've written is incorrect. I've done my best, but I'm no expert.
Finally, a quick thank you for reading and supporting this story - while I was away Behind the Masks reached over 600 follows, which is honestly unbelievable and very exciting. You guys are the best, and I'm thrilled to share this milestone with you.
As always, feel free to drop me a note, suggest an idea, or tell me what you think about the fic. Enjoy!
Save the Last Dance for Me: A Ballroom Dance AU in which Ladybug and Chat Noir are the headliners for the Miraculous Dance Club, and Hawkmoth leads a rival dance company called Papillon. When Hawkmoth stages a coup, the gloves - and masks - start coming off. It's time for Chat and his Lady to face the music.
The best part about Friday nights was the Miraculous Dance Club behind the old antiques shop. Anyone who knew anything about ballroom dance was there religiously, dressed in the finest costumes and dusted generously with glitter. The attendees brought their energy, their stretched muscles, and their best shoes. Some brought friends, and others brought their favorite pens in hopes of getting autographs from Ladybug and Chat Noir, the famous Miraculous dancers.
Somehow, being in that chandelier-lit building washed all the problems of the world away. No one was in bad spirits; the air had a purifying quality to it that cleared away anger and distress. Foes became friends, even if just for a little while.
In fact, there was rarely an instant of drama within those walls - a fine feat considering the primary club attendees were teenagers. Perhaps this was because of the magic of Miraculous, although many scoffed that magic was only a figment of television.
Regardless of the origin, there was something about the atmosphere - beyond the hairspray particulates and polished wood floors - that made the place irresistible. Many speculated it was the handsome DJ, Nino, who always played the perfect beats. Some even thought it was the elusive blogger, FoxyWifi, who showed up every Friday night to write about Miraculous, but no one could put a face to her name. A few simply liked dressing up and finding a cute partner for the evening.
However, most agreed that the main reason people kept showing up to the Miraculous Dance Club was the primary dancing couple: Ladybug and Chat Noir. No one knew who they really were thanks to tasteful masks at the insistence of Grand Master Fu, but if people did, these two would have never had a moment's peace from their adoring fans. Those masks were probably lifesavers now, but they were contentious at first. No one, not even Ladybug and Chat themselves had expected to need them. Ladybug herself certainly hadn't wanted to wear one.
In fact, their first day training at Miraculous, when Fu told them to show up in masks to hide their identities, Ladybug had been irritated. One look at Chat, on the other hand, had told Fu he was already head-over-heels for his partner; he'd do whatever Fu wanted in order to spend more time with her.
"I can't dance with someone I don't trust," Ladybug had protested, oblivious to how much Chat was blushing. "I need to see his face."
Chat had gotten antsy and pulled his eye mask lower so it nearly covered his nose. "I agree, but my identity is complicated - what if you don't want to dance with me once you know my name? Maybe we should wait. Maybe Master Fu is right."
Fu had replied, "The mask is a training exercise. All the new dancers use them at first."
"None of the other dancers wear them," Ladybug had pointed out.
"We haven't had new company dancers in a long time," Fu had answered. "The mask is a device to protect you from your audience and your partner while you're training. That's the great thing about Miraculous - you can grow and improve without the pressure of others. You can be yourself. It preserves a boundary between what you do and who you are."
She'd smiled and conceded then. "When do we get to take them off and tell each other who we are?"
"I don't think it'll take that long for one of us to figure out the other person's identity," Chat had said thoughtfully. "I think I'll be pretty motivated to figure it out, at least. If that happens, is that okay?"
Fu had smiled. "Careful not to get too curious. You'll know when the timing is right. Things like this have a way of sorting themselves out."
The sorting out was taking a long time, but the past two years hadn't been without a few close calls. Luckily, FoxyWifi was the only outsider to come close to exposing them. She discovered Ladybug's school textbook during a dance fundraiser at the museum, deducing her age and what school she went to. But the rest of that lead was shut down after the Grand Master Fu made an impassioned plea at a press conference, insisting his star performers remain anonymous.
When asked about it in a FoxyWifi blog interview, he said, "I do not teach ballroom dance for the public to speculate on the dancers themselves - I teach it to help the dancers be a conduit for a greater art. With power comes responsibility and pressure, which is easier for these two to handle without everyone knowing their names."
But that wasn't the only reason. Grand Master Fu also kept Ladybug and Chat Noir, the jewels of his club, under wraps because of Papillon, the rival dance studio across town. Its dancers, called The Akumas, constantly sought to upend Miraculous' long history of heroic performances and flocking crowds.
In the world of dance, he who had the best dancers held the key to power - and Gabriel Agreste, owner of Papillon, hoped to one day become master of all Paris. He was already so close. In addition to the Akumas, his son Adrien could definitely give Chat Noir a run for his money on the competition scene. But, somehow, Adrien was too…distracted to ever truly devote the practice time it would take to destroy Miraculous in competition.
So, months ago, Gabriel had taken matters into his own hands. Under the stage persona of Hawkmoth, he began investigating Miraculous in hopes of recruiting Chat Noir and Ladybug for his own studio.
Accomplishing a takeover would be easier if he had them on his side. If he could steal their talent from Miraculous through blackmail, the game could be won. People would respect Papillon, and the club-goers who wanted some of the magic of ballroom to rub off on them would surely follow Chat and Ladybug anywhere.
Hawkmoth could almost hear the applause. He was getting impatient. Tonight he would need to focus on the prize. If he could embarrass them into leaving Miraculous, they'd be his for the taking.
He called another practice for his Akumas. They had a lot of work to do.
That night, the Akumas from Papillon's competitive ballroom company slipped into the crowd to watch Ladybug and Chat perform. They dispersed and mingled for an hour, grabbing half-moon goblets full of sparkling water, adjusting their costumes, and partnering up to join the sway of the music. The elevated stage at the front of the ballroom was lit with warm yellow spotlights, and the air smelled like freshly ironed shirts and the tang of hairspray. Ladybug and Chat Noir were dancing a lively set of routines, dressed in black and red costumes and wearing their signature masks.
Everything was going smoothly until they began a lovely foxtrot. At least, it would have been lovely if they'd been able to finish it.
Halfway through the dance, the Akumas stormed the stage.
DJ Nino stopped the music and removed his orange headphones, looking intrigued but irritated that his mix hadn't been fully appreciated. FoxyWifi raised her phone to get a better angle for her live-stream. The other dancers in the club silenced, the adrenaline souring in the air. The magic of Miraculous seemed suddenly...threatened.
The Akumas finished lining up on the stage facing Ladybug and Chat Noir, then paired up and threatened to steal the show. Nino, taking advantage of the silence, set up a beat on loop and shouted into the microphone, "Dance off!" The audience roared in agreement, chanting "Dance off! Dance off! Dance off!"
A fast-paced swing began to play, and everyone took up their partners. Chat looked nervous to be facing down six pairs of intimidating and menacing dancers, but Ladybug touched his face lightly with her red gloved hand and turned him back to face her. Focusing on each other, looking only into each other's vulnerable eyes, they began to move.
Fu watched it all from the second floor balcony; he had never been so impressed with their composure and improvisation. Clearly the audience felt the same way – they went wild with every lift, turn, and stunt the pair performed. After a few songs played, a few of the Akumas left the stage - some got tired, some got annoyed that Chat and Ladybug hadn't given up yet. But when all the Akumas finally made their exit and a new challenging pair ascended to the stage, Chat faltered for a moment. Everyone knew why.
This new couple featured Hawkmoth himself. The most famous and ruthless dancer of Papillon approached, straightened his tie, and smiled icily behind his white winged mask.
Fu gripped the wood railing of the balcony. He knew all of Hawkmoth's tricks - the man was always up to no good. At the 2015 Stoneheart Invitational Competition, Hawkmoth had secretly paid a famous dancer named Ivan to join Papillon, thereby completely destroying any chances of Miraculous winning. Thanks to Ivan's skills, the Akumas won in every event that year except the one Chat and Ladybug competed in, and they'd almost won that one too. Hawkmoth had smiled smugly during the entire award ceremony, and Fu had never forgotten that face.
Knowing they were about to compete against Hawkmoth himself made even Fu nervous, and, understandably, Chat Noir panicked. When a smooth piano tune began to trickle in from the speakers, he stumbled through a few steps, missed the change in tempo, and almost lost his grip on Ladybug as he spun her with a flare of her polka-dotted skirt.
The club started to boo, and Fu thought Miraculous might suffer a loss against Papillon right then and there. But then Ladybug grabbed Chat's hand with a steely, inspiring determination, and he recovered himself.
In fact, he recovered so well that he did something unimaginable.
As he pulled Ladybug back from a turn and she spun into his arms, he pressed his hand to her lower back, dipped her backward, and kissed her.
Passionately, on stage, in front of everyone. He'd never done that before.
And though Fu saw her shoulders tense up in surprise at first, the rest of her eventually relaxed into the embrace, and she kissed him back.
Passionately, on stage, in front of everyone. She'd never done that before either.
Needless to say, that kind of interaction between the two partners was a kind of power greater than anything Hawkmoth and his partner had to offer. Chat and Ladybug won by a landslide of audience applause.
Fu crossed his arms proudly. Miraculous was back to business as usual, it would seem.
Backstage that night, however, Ladybug and Chat Noir fought in the dressing room, surrounded by orb-bordered mirrors that reflected their false faces.
"How could you use romance to win? That wasn't fair," Ladybug said, yanking bobby pins from her two pigtails.
Her partner paused in the middle of taking off his narrow black tie to chuckle. "We were literally competing against the king of cheating, and we were losing. Of course I didn't play fair."
"No," she'd said softly, watching him in the mirror. "I meant it wasn't fair to us. Did you mean it at all, or was that kiss just for the audience?"
Chat turned slowly to face her. "How can you even ask that?" His voice was oddly quiet. "I thought you knew."
"Knew what?"
"I've loved you for years. That kiss was real. Effective, yes. But real."
"No, you haven't loved me. You've loved your masked dance partner, who's just a character I created to perform. You don't even know my real name. How can you love someone without seeing their true face?"
"What do names matter? We've gotten on fine without them until now."
"Until you kissed me, that is."
"You can still love someone if you don't know their name."
"I know that, but it shouldn't be true!"
They both paused, realizing what she'd said. Of course! Chat thought. She just said the kiss hadn't been fair to us – she asked if I'd meant it at all. She has feelings for me too!
It was suddenly very warm in the dressing room. "You know," he began, shrugging out of his suit jacket, "I don't think you're actually mad I kissed you. I think you're just surprised you enjoyed it."
It was Ladybug's turn to splutter. "N-no way. What makes you think that?"
"Because your mask can't hide everything. I could see the way you were smiling when I opened my eyes again. And your eyes were still closed. You were…savoring it, same as me."
"You…you don't know anything. I was acting." She turned back to face the mirror and removed her gloves.
"No," he said, all trace of satisfaction gone from his face. He wasn't kidding around anymore. "You weren't. You can't act, and we both know it. I know you're the exact same person on that stage as you are in real life."
"I…"
Chat stood very still. "Ladybug, do you love me too?"
"I…"
He approached until she was barely an inch away from him. He could feel her exhaling slowly; she was trying not to freak out.
He'd make it easier for her, he decided. Go for the humor. He took a few steps back to give her space. "Why wouldn't you love me? We're made for each other. You're lucky, I'm charming. You're beautiful, I'm cute. You kissed me, I kissed you. I know you, Ladybug. Just say it – say you do." He was smiling – his voice was light. He could have been half-joking, if she wanted to take it that way.
Ladybug frowned. She seemed to have lost the ability to form words. She glanced around for something to throw, and finally settled for a bobby pin. She chucked one at him, and it bounced pointlessly off his forehead.
Apparently she was not taking it that way.
His green eyes sparked with amusement, but he kept his grin in check, waiting to see if she'd yell at him. She didn't, so he continued.
"It's okay if you do. Love me, I mean. Falling in love with a guy in a cat mask doesn't mean it doesn't count. Just say it."
"Just," Ladybug finally said. "Give me a minute." She closed her eyes and stayed quiet for easily three sets of eight-counts. Not that Chat noticed, or anything.
"I'm sorry. I just hate admitting I was wrong about needing to see your face to dance with you. To…love you," she finally said, her eyes still closed. "Even part of me still thinks this can only work if we take off our masks."
"I can do that."
Her eyes flew open to reveal that deep blue. "But…I don't know if I can. I'm so used to having a mask on around you that I don't know who to be without it," she said slowly. "I might need some time."
"I'll help you. What are partners for?" he asked, then held out his arm. Ladybug took it.
"Next rehearsal. Can we agree? We'll do it then?"
"Whenever," he said.
"I'm sorry about the bobby pin, by the way."
Chat gave her a sly look. "Will you kiss it and make it better?"
"Don't push it. I have more where that one came from."
At their next rehearsal, Chat Noir counted to eight over and over under his breath as he and Ladybug ran through their dance for next Friday night. For this slower number, she was pressed blissfully close to him, and his hand was resting gently on her waist. Master Fu stood in the empty shadows beyond the bright glow of the stage lights, watching them mark the routine without doing all the lifts and jumps. Once done full-out for the actual performance, the routine would be beautiful.
Ladybug flourished in her partner's arms. She held herself carefully poised when it was her turn to show off in the piece, but Chat seemed to be able to get her to dance more fluidly when they were dancing this close together.
Chat was always an emotive dancer - his expression never failed to match the tone of the music. But with each romantic swell of the violin coming from Chat's portable iPod speakers, he looked at Ladybug like she was the music. Sometimes during important performances he'd put on a show for the audience, but not always. The love on his face right now was real.
Today, Ladybug reciprocated the look on his face, a rare phenomenon Fu only saw when she forgot she was in rehearsal and felt like she was alone with Chat. She moved to touch his cheek with one hand, pushing her fingers under his black mask as if to ask silently if she could remove it. Everything, even the music seemed to swoon in anticipation.
Chat stopped dancing and Ladybug clung to him, her skirt still swaying as if oblivious to her frozen stance.
It was time for their masks to come off, and all three of them knew it at the same time.
"Ready?" the two dancers whispered to each other. Fu clasped his hands together in silent delight.
When they finally stood, faces exposed for the first time, the first thing Adrien did was blush. The first thing Marinette did was smile.
And the first thing Fu did was give them a standing ovation.