"It's been one full week and we're still allowed to go to school! Can you believe it!?" Adrien said and tore another piece off his chicken. Not only could they go to public school now, but they had also—an order placed by Nathalie maybe?—been served rotisserie chicken thighs for lunch. With bones and everything! Adrien couldn't believe his luck! He purred contently as he savoured the rich taste of every bite and kept an eye out for tiny bones, just like his mother had taught him to.

"Stop jinxing it. It'd be nice if things stayed this way for a bit," Félix said with an eye roll.

"I'm just saying," Adrien said unperturbed, and threw Plagg a fanged grin. Since they were the only ones in the dining hall, the kwami had decided that it was safe to come out and devour the cheese platter before anyone else could.

"Do you want something too, Plagg? It's delicious!"

The offered chicken thigh was eyed with scepticism.

"I might be a cat, but I very much prefer my cheese. Keep enjoying your meat yourself," Plagg said and threw Adrien a look where it was hard to say if it was exasperated or even disgusted. Adrien just shrugged. His loss.

"Hey Fé, do you remember when we used to eat those every week? Father always said that he felt like he was witnessing the feeding of predators at a zoo." Adrien snickered at the memory. Before their mother had disappeared, they had eaten rotisserie chicken thighs every Saturday but that was just another tradition that had stopped completely. Back then, their father still had fractions of a sense of humour and he had overall been less strict and more…fatherly.

"Yeah, I feel like that too," Plagg remarked dryly as he watched Félix tear a piece of meat off with his teeth.

"Cutlery doesn't really work with these," Félix remarked.

"Besides, it's more fun this way," Adrien added. He could have sworn that he heard Plagg mutter "Why did they have to be kittens?"

"So, you spoke of your dad in past tense. How come he doesn't join you at lunch?"

Silence followed Plagg's question.

"He's probably busy," Adrien said, which drew an annoyed snort out of Félix.

"Yeah, busy with ignoring our existence," his brother mumbled.

Understanding dawned on Plagg's face.

"Let me guess: He hit your mum three times, so she left him and now he's stuck with you two."

The snap of a breaking chicken bone made Adrien flinch. Félix held the two bone halves in clenched fists and looked at his lunch with gritted teeth.

"No. She left on Midwinter and never came back," Adrien said quietly and wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin. He suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

"Listen, you two. Faeries make deals that seem weird to humans sometimes. Maybe your mother made such a deal when marrying your father and he didn't take it seriously enough to value it. It's not uncommon for them to leave their partner then. That she left on Midwinter of all days further supports that theory."

Adrien suddenly felt lightheaded. His voice was barely audible when he said: "You mean…she left us voluntarily?"

Plagg shrugged.

"I don't know, kitten. It's a possibility though. Faeries are not known for their fidelity after all."

"We don't know for sure though," Félix voice suddenly cut into the silence and he glared at Plagg. "And until we can be certain, I don't want to hear any of your prejudiced assumptions anymore."

Adrien stood up. No matter what his brother had said, the what-ifs were already swirling around his head. He needed to get out of the dining hall and think happy thoughts. Distract himself. Maybe he could visit Marinette!

"Adrien, where are you going?" His brother's voice only barely registered as he walked out of the dining room.

No, visiting Marinette would be a bad idea. He was too distracted and he couldn't risk that his lashing tail would slip through the glamour. He needed another distraction. A distraction where he didn't need to hide and where he would not be caged.

He opened the door to his room and started pacing.

Running around as a cat might help, but that would also put him closer to this faerie side and he didn't want to think about the Court and the fae right now. Not after what Plagg had just implied.

"Hey, kitten," said kwami said and sat down on Adrien's shoulder. "You know I didn't mean to upset you."

Adrien stopped as an idea struck him.

"Plagg…am I allowed to use the Miraculous when there is no Akuma attack and when I'm not meeting up with Ma—I mean Ladybug?"

The tiny god floated off his shoulder and shrugged.

"I don't see how it would be damaging. You're just human enough to make it work without leaking bad luck and destructive magic, so it should be fine."

Adrien gave a small smile.

"I…uhm," he looked away. "No, nevermind! It's probably rude to misuse a god's power."

Plagg sighed.

"Kid," he said with emphasis, "if you need a break as Chat Noir then go ahead and transform. I don't mind. You still need to listen to your girlfriend's suggestion and try out Cataclysm so that you know how to use it. Maybe destroying something worthless will help."

Adrien looked at the kwami for a long moment, seeking out the twist of words that could hide a loophole and therefore disguise a lie. He quickly shook his head though. Thinking like that about Plagg wasn't fair. He wasn't like the fair folk at all, apart from being able to use magic. And even if a break as Chat Noir would help him right now, Plagg had worded it in a way that made it clear that even a small breather would come with a price.

"You're right, Plagg. I should stop being a coward."

As a cat, Adrien was used to treading around on silent paws. Making noise would mean drawing attention to himself and that wasn't really the point of sneaking around on rooftops. No matter how much he wanted to hum a tune or even give the occasional exclamation, he had learned to keep those urges buried deep inside. 'Cats don't make human noises' was one of the very first things their mother had taught them after all.

What applied to cat-him did not apply to Chat Noir though.

"We wrote a prelude to our own fairytale—"

"Just what do you think you're doing, kid?!" Plagg interrupted him. Chat Noir pouted.

"Singing? You said that it had no effect on humans when I'm transformed."

"The Court will keep an eye out for you and your girlfriend right now and they'll certainly listen."

"Then they'll spot me even when I don't sing. Let me have some fun, please? I never felt this free!"

"You damn faeries and your addiction to freedom," Plagg grumbled and Chat Noir took it as an 'okay' to keep singing. He grinned as he jumped over a gap between rooftops and continued where he stopped.

"And bought a parachute at a church rummage sale.

And with a mean sewing machine and miles of thread

We sewed the day above L.A. in navy and red.

We round a racetrack through your mom's kitchen chairs

And fought the shadows back down your dark basement stairs.

I lit a match and let it catch to light up the room.

And then you yelled as we beheld an old maroon.

Hot air balloon.

I'll be out of my mind,

And you'll be out of ideas pretty soon.

So let's spend the afternoon

In a cold hot air balloon.

Leave your jacket behind,

Lean out and touch the tree tops over town.

I can't wait to kiss the ground wherever we touch back down."

"Nice voice, Chaton."

Chat Noir almost pole-vaulted into a wall. 'Almost' being the decisive word.

He caught the roof's edge at the last second and pulled himself up. And no matter how much a snickering Plagg insisted on it, he definitely had not yowled.

"Good afternoon, my lady!" He greeted as if nothing happened. Ladybug stood on the roof beside him and offered him a hand which he gladly accepted.

"Taking a stroll over the rooftops too?" she asked as she pulled him up. Amusement danced in her eyes.

Chat Noir smiled giddily. Of all the things that had gone through his head since they got their Miraculous, it hadn't yet crossed his mind that he could now share his love of the rooftop perspective with his best friend. Strolling across the rooftops together sounded wonderful! Especially if he was allowed to hold her hand.

"Yeah…I just…yeah," he said and nervously rubbed the back of his neck as the entire situation caught up to him. She had just witnessed him singing and almost hitting a wall afterwards. It wasn't like he was self-conscious about his singing…he had just not expected that Marinette of all people would listen.

"Would the fair lady like to stroll across the rooftops with this fine cat?" He said, as he slowly gained confidence and bowed, holding one hand out for her to take.

She giggled and he was sure that his heart was about to leap out of his chest at the sound. Hopefully she did not feel his increased heartbeat when she laid her hand in his.

"I'd love to!"

L-love? Did she just say that she lov—no, she said that she'd love to take a stroll with me. Big difference!

"Then follow me," he said and regrettably let go of her hand to pole-vault over a gap between two buildings.

Wait, regrettably? There shouldn't be something to regret! The two of them were not together on either sides of the masks and it was stupid of him to even think about it. If their friendship had already gotten Marinette in danger, then a relationship would doom her. No, he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't risk it. Her safety was so much more important than his selfish desires.

"Uhm…Chat?"

He paused. When he looked back, he saw that Ladybug was still on the other roof and looking over to him uncertainly. He tilted his head in a silent question.

"There is nothing for my yo-yo to latch on to," she said.

Oh, right. She's not used to this yet.

He tucked the baton behind his back—he had gotten a little overeager using it—and jumped back to her roof without any difficulty.

"It's not that far of a jump. I'm sure you can do it without your yo-yo," he said with a grin.

Her response was a disbelieving stare, completed with an open jaw.

"Not that far?! It's over three metres!" She waved her arms around wildly as if to underline her point and he couldn't help but chuckle. It was so cute when she did this.

"If I could make that jump, then you can too."

Which was a lie. He had no idea if that had been the increased strength of his suit or his natural strength and cat tendencies. Therefore, he couldn't help but add: "And if you can't, I'll catch you."

"This is crazy," she said.

"Crazier than jumping off the Eiffel tower?"

Chat Noir chuckled when she pouted.

"Come on, my lady. Just see this as step two. We're in this together, remember?"

She sighed. "I have a feeling that there will be a lot of steps."

"Oh, most definitely! But we'll take them one at a time, so don't worry about it. You already have no fear of heights, so let's work on no fear of jumps now."

"You're enjoying this way too much, kid," Plagg commented and Chat Noir had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.

"Why do I have the feeling that it's only me who has to overcome fears here?" Ladybug asked as she took a few steps back, her eyes set on the gap between the buildings with nervous determination.

"Pure coincidence, my lady!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then here's the deal: I'll jump over that gap and if I make it to the other roof by myself, you'll tell me a fear you need to overcome."

"Deal," he said even before he fully registered what he was agreeing to. What he did register though was that his friend took a deep breath and then started running towards the rooftop's edge. He took his baton and got himself ready in case she needed his help, but to both of their relief, she sailed through the air flawlessly. She even landed a few metres away from the edge of the other roof.

Chat Noir jumped over with a grin. "Told you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ladybug said with an eye roll and then took on a confident and awfully smug stance. Chat Noir was instantly reminded of all the times Marinette had adapted that same stance and therefore knew that something akin to an 'I told you so' would follow.

"Let's take that stroll and discuss how to tackle step three then," she said with a grin. He fell in pace beside her.

"Step three?"

"Your fears, Chaton," she said and his face fell for a bit. Right, that had been the deal. It wasn't something he wanted to admit out loud but he knew from experience that his friend wouldn't relent. She wanted to help him too badly to be able to give up on him this early on.

"Just spit it out, kid," Plagg said which made Chat Noir grimace. His kwami probably wouldn't like this.

"Do I have to?" He asked timidly and Ladybug's smug grin immediately turned into a compassionate smile. When her hand landed on his shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze, he could feel his cheeks warm. He could also hear Plagg's snickering but that was beside the point.

"You don't have to tell me right away. But it would be good to be on the same page so that we know what to look out for when we have to fight an Akuma again."

What she said made sense, but rationality had never been one of his strong suits. He was a creature of magic and hijinks, so logic and reason didn't take high priorities for him naturally. He didn't want to make her think that he was immature though, so he forced himself to reply.

"I'm afraid of using my power," Chat Noir blurted out and didn't dare to look at her. They had stopped in the middle of a rooftop and he was intently studying the shingles. Her comforting hand didn't move from his shoulder, but was even joined by a second on his other one. Ladybug turned him around so that he had no choice but to face her. Those bluebell eyes would be the death of him.

"Why?"

It was not accusing, demeaning or even confused. She was just gently imploring for his reasons and he appreciated that. It took a few moments to find the right words though.

"I…it's just…Plagg said that it can destroy everything, even living things. What if I'm clumsy and touch someone by accident? …What if I touch you?" The last sentence only came out in a whisper, but by the way her eyes widened she had clearly heard it. Before he knew it, he was wrapped in a tight hug.

"Oh Chaton," she said and it sounded…sad. He didn't want her to be sad! The comforting purr was pure reflex, so he tried to cover it up by continuing to explain.

"I mean, I'm literally wielding the Miraculous of Destruction. It's only wise to be as careful with it as possible. If I just go around and use my power in every battle, then I'd eventually mess up. This…this magic is scary."

Plagg was surprisingly quiet through all of this.

"Let's try it out," Ladybug eventually said, which made Chat Noir jolt back in shock.

"What?!"

"I mean, like I said, you could just try it on a pebble or something. I'll be there for moral support…at a safe distance."

Now it was his turn to stare at her in disbelief. They were talking about a power that could destroy the entirety of Paris with a single touch and she suggested to use it on a pebble?! Who'd say that it would stop there?!

"Calm down and listen to the bug. She's right," Plagg said; the first thing he had said since the topic of Cataclysm had come up at all.

Chat Noir shifted uncomfortably. The whole point of becoming Chat Noir had been to keep Marinette out of danger. Now he was getting her close to the power of ultimate destruction. Things were very much not going according to plan!

"Fine, but…you'll have to be at least fifty metres away. No, one hundred!"

Ladybug threw him a flat stare.

"I'll be ten metres away. Tikki said the power can only become a danger if it would touch me directly. So, I should be safe as long as I'm out of swiping distance."

"B-but will that really be enough?" Chat Noir asked as he realised he would not be getting out of this plan.

"Last time I checked your arms weren't ten metres long."

That made him grin, but only for a moment. Even when Plagg said it was alright, something could still go wrong. The kwami had said himself that he didn't know how the Miraculous would work with a halfling as a holder, so who said it couldn't extend to the special power as well?

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Chat Noir muttered.

Five minutes later he found himself in an alley, away from the curious stares of Parisians and tourists alike, and held a pebble in his left hand. Ladybug, as promised, stood on the other side of the alleyway and gave him a thumbs up. Her encouragement was adorable, but when it came to magic, she sadly didn't know enough to be able to properly access the danger she was in.

"Alright, kid, just take a deep breath and summon Cataclysm. You don't have to be afraid of accidentally touching your suit since it's immune to the power. Just don't facepalm yourself with your right hand, please."

Chat Noir frowned. He had not planned to facepalm himself with Cataclysm, but the fact that this was a possibility made him anxious. He took a deep breath and dispersed the intrusive thought.

"What if something goes wrong?" He couldn't help but ask. The question had been directed at Plagg, but it was Ladybug who answered.

"Then I'm here to fix it with the cure."

Chat Noir turned to her and blinked. He had almost forgotten that that was an option.

"I can't stress this enough: Listen to your girlfriend! Stop being a scaredy kitten."

His tail was lashing nervously and he was glad to not have to hide it beneath a glamour. It no doubt would have slipped out.

"Okay, here goes nothing," he said with a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he looked at his right hand intently.

"Cataclysm."

There was no dramatic light or anything following the command, but just dark energy that suddenly bubbled up and engulfed his right hand. Tiny sparks flew off of it like rot and he gulped. He knew Ladybug couldn't feel the magic itself, but he could. It felt…strangely right, which he honestly should have expected. The Unseelie were beings of destruction and Plagg had even said that it was his Court. An affinity to destruction therefore was a given.

Cataclysm didn't feel like Unseelie cruelties though... and besides, it was only a faint cry from his own magic, after all. This power was strong, destructive and unforgiving. He felt the potential it held and only then realised that destroying the entirety of Paris was not the furthest extent of what it could do.

His right hand shook when he very slowly moved it to the pebble in his other hand.

"Concentrate on what you want to destroy and how you want to destroy it. For now, concentrate on letting this pebble, and only this pebble, crumble into dust," Plagg instructed patiently.

Chat Noir did as his kwami said and watched as the pebble disintegrated. A small black pile of dust was everything that was left in his hand only moments later.

"You did it!" Ladybug's joyous shout startled him out of the frightened stillness he had fallen into. He looked up to see her jog over to him.

"Well done, kid," Plagg said in his head and Chat Noir couldn't help but let a small grin grow on his face. He really had done it. The most shocking part of it all was how easy it had been in the end. Nothing malfunctioned, no one died, Paris was still standing.

"Wow, there really isn't much left of it," Ladybug said as she regarded the dust pile he still held in his hand. Then she suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"And that was step three, Chaton," she said and ended the hug much too soon. He threw her a bright grin.

"Onto step four then?"

The beep of his ring startled him. Right. Five minutes until the transformation would fall away.

"Let's raincheck on that," Ladybug said as she also regarded the disappearing paw pad on his ring.

Chat Noir sighed. So much for taking a nice stroll with his lady over the rooftops.

"Hey," Ladybug said encouragingly, probably having noticed his disappointment. "How about we meet up tomorrow and train a little? I could bring some cheese and cookies so we could practice our powers too!"

Chat Noir tilted an ear in confusion. "What do cheese and cookies have to do with our powers?"

"The kwamis will need to refuel after they use it and Tikki said that your kwami likes cheese, so he'll probably need it."

"Now I see why he fourmed[L1] the idea of me testing out Cataclysm."

The answering snicker in his head was all the confirmation he needed.

[L1]La fourme = Bezeichnung für verschiedene Bergkäsesorten aus Zentralfrankreich