yeah so im binging season 3 right now so I may as well finish this lol
Adrien blinked, confusion written all over his face.
"You're… from another world?"
"Yup." Lydia nodded passively. "We do this a lot. Travel around and visit different places. We knew- well, I knew a lot about you and your world before coming. Hence me knowing your secret identity. Morro didn't know though, so, yeah. Might be a thing to work on."
"Oh. That's amazing, though!" Adrian's face broke into a grin. "I- what are the other worlds like? How many are there?"
"Oh man, I don't even know. Hundreds, at least." She shrugged. "I've only been to a few so far."
"Could you- would it be possible to take me to one, someday?" His green eyes sparkled with excitement. "Any of them, it would just- it would be extraordinary!"
"I don't see any reason why not." She couldn't help grinning back. His smile was that infectious. "Not now, but one day, I promise."
"Thank you!" He beamed at her. "I need to get back to my father, before he notices me missing. I'll see you later!"
"Okay. Bye!" And he was gone. Letting her shoulders sag, Lydia blew out a breath, leaning back against the brick wall of the alley they had taken refuge in.
"That was a whirlwind of action."
"No kidding." Morro muttered, fingering the camera case that hung around his neck.
To her disappointment, Lydia hadn't managed to see the end of the battle, or even who the poor akumatized soul was. After the scare of nearly losing the Realm Crystal, though, she was content with just getting out of there safely. She praised God for the fact that Ladybug's magic yo-yo powers had worked on it.
"Can we go home?" Karen signed. "I need a nap after that."
"Yeah, sure, of course." The brunette reached automatically for the crystal, stored safely in Morro's camera case, but hesitated when she realized just how many people were around. "C'mon, we've gotta go find someplace quiet."
"Agreed." Nodding for them to follow, Morro set off in an easy stroll down the alleyway, the two girls trailing behind him.
Due to the chaos that was the akuma attack, there were even more people than usual on the street. Some of them - Lydia spied Alya interviewing some witnesses - were looking for info on what had just happened, while others were checking on loved ones to make sure they were safe. It made her pause for a moment, made her wonder. This wasn't just a cartoon anymore. Could people be killed in the akuma attacks?
She shook the thought away. It wasn't worth dwelling on, no matter what the case may be.
"It was fun, though, wasn't it?" She chirped instead. "It was… crazy, but a good crazy. It was a spectacle."
"Yes." Karen signed in response. "I like Adrien."
"Who doesn't?" Lydia swung her arms happily at her sides. "I'm glad the time difference isn't too weird. I'd like to come back here again." There was no response, but the silence unnerved her, so she continued to talk. "I'm disappointed I didn't get to meet Marinette. Ladybug. They're the same person. Maybe by next time I'll have worked up the courage to actually try and talk."
"Okay, you know what?" Morro cut in. "No. Lydia, we need to talk." He spun around, stopping short, and Lydia skidded to a halt.
"What?"
"You. This." Frustrated, her boyfriend snatched up the Realm Crystal, holding it up. "You- you getting yourself into danger like this." Lydia relaxed a bit.
"Morro, listen, I know-"
"No, you listen." He snapped, cutting her off. "You told me we were going to a fun cartoon. That there would be magic and stuff happening. We both got hurt, Karen nearly got turned into a ####### painting, and we almost lost our only way home. And you can't wait to go back?
"You need to warn me of the danger that we could be facing. I know you think I'm powerful, and that I can protect you, but I can't if I don't even know what I'm up against. And you're not the only one at stake here." He gestured to poor Karen, who stood frozen beside her. "If the Realm Crystal had shattered, we would all be stuck here. Forever. What about your family? What about-"
"I already freaked out about it, and I'm trying not to think about it, okay?!" Lydia snapped back, choking the words out past the lump that rose in her throat. "I'm sorry. You're right. But don't guilt trip me, I'm freaked out enough as it is!"
"Maybe that will make you stop and think next time!" Morro appeared to notice that he was leaning over her, and rocked back on his heels. "We'll talk about this when we get home." He stated, obviously straining to keep his voice even. "Let's just go." Lydia gritted her teeth as he turned around, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill. She hated being yelled at, but she hated being yelled at for something she completely deserved even more.
Blinking back the tears that muddled her vision, the brunette glanced up just in time to see a purple butterfly disappear behind Morro's shoulder.
"Hey!" She yelped, but it was too late. Her boyfriend stopped short, stiffening as a purplish tint covered his skin.
"Hurricane, je suis le papillon."
"Je peux vous aider à protéger vos proches, et en retour…"
Morro turned halfway, green already materializing on his face. Lydia swallowed back her tears.
"Karen, we need to go." Swiveling around, she grabbed the startled woman's hand, and ran.
"I kind of had it in my head that there was only allowed to be one Akuma per day." Lydia stated, her voice discouraged. "Guess I was wrong."
"Apparently." Karen signed, peering out from behind her as 'Hurricane' battled with the pair of superheroes. They had been lucky in that Ladybug and Chat Noir were nearby, and had distracted Morro from his quest to hunt them down. Karen wasn't sure what he would do if he caught them, but she would prefer not to find out.
"I like his outfit." Lydia remarked blandly. "It's cool." Her friend didn't respond. Over the course of the afternoon, Lydia appeared to have gone from excited to slightly hysterical, a state she knew Morro's condition wasn't helping in the least. So, she let her ramble.
The superheroes didn't appear to be having much trouble with him, despite Morro's greatly heightened ability over the wind. Though he tossed them about like pebbles in the tide, they simply regained their balance and shot back up. She could only hope they had some plan, there was no way they could keep this up forever.
Gently, she nudged Lydia's shoulder, drawing her attention from the fight. "I'm surprised you're not out there, trying to get a closer look." Lydia let out a stilted chuckle.
"I'm content with staying at a reasonable distance this time." Despite her light tone, her eyes filled with tears, and the brunette slid down the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Agh, I'm sorry. He was right." She managed. "I know e-everything's gonna be okay, it a-always is, but he's right." Karen patted her shoulder.
"Worry about that once he's back to normal."
"N-not sure if I can do that."
"At least give it a try."
"Hey!" A half shout, half whisper sounded from behind them, and Lydia spun around only for her face to fall into a frown. Karen turned, and the reason quickly became clear - the blond girl in yellow stood behind them, maybe ten feet away.
"Come here! You will be seen!" Chloe urged them in broken english. Lydia opened her mouth to respond, probably a retort, but Karen grabbed her arm and obeyed. The brunette scowled at her, trying to remind her of her warning, but it was ignored. Karen knew that she sometimes got the wrong impressions of those who were supposed to be evil.
Chloe beckoned them into a building, where several other people were hiding. "The akuma, is he Morro?" She asked, scanning the area for any sign of him.
"Yeah." Lydia responded glumly.
"Why? What happened?"
"It's none of your business." She spun and retreated, sitting down with her arms crossed against the wall. Chloe 'hmph'ed.
"You are… silencieuse, quiet? Can't speak?" The question was directed at her, and Karen nodded.
"I speak ASL." She tried signing, but the blonde just stared.
"I don't know…" she wiggled her fingers. Fair enough. "Did they fight?" She nodded in Lydia's direction, Karen shrugged. Sort of.
"I am going back outside." Chloe announced. "I'll return with speed." With that, she spun around, ponytail swishing behind her as she walked away. Karen managed to hide her smile at the attempt at english.
As she glanced around, the raven-haired maiden could see more than a few glances in her direction. That was understandable, her hair was eye-catching alone, and Chloe had been speaking to her in english. They appeared to be in a small restaurant, which had been closed, possibly due to the earlier attack. There was no staff, only a few clusters of people, one of them including a few small children. Oh dear.
Karen crossed the room towards Lydia, settling herself beside her sulking friend.
"She can't be all that bad." She signed.
"You haven't seen her in action." Lydia grumbled. "Trust me, she's responsible for half the akuma in the show."
"And is the source material always 100% dependable?" Karen signed with a frown. "If I recall correctly, sometimes villains that you despise end up being decent people." She paused, then gestured to herself. Lydia scrunched up her nose at her.
"Ugh, please, I don't want to like Chloe."
"Would you have once said the same about me?"
"Ouch. Yes." Lydia braced her elbows on her knees, sighing into her hands. "I'm just… I dunno, kinda maxed out on how many people I can handle, y'know?"
"There should not be a limit on how many people you can be kind to, regardless of how distasteful you find them." The brunette peered out at her between her fingers.
"I don't like it when you have better logic than me."
"You're welcome."
"Okay, you win, I'll give her a chance."
"And you will continue to treat her with kindness if she does not meet your new expectations?"
"Mph. Yeah. I will."
The ceiling lifted off.
Screams filled the building, and Karen's head jerked up to see 'Hurricane' tossing the shingled roof aside. Luckily for the citizens fleeing the area, the entire thing was disintegrated by Chat Noir's magic attack. Unluckily for Lydia and Karen, Morro had already spotted them and was descending to their side.
"There you are." His voice had an otherworldly, if slightly familiar quality to it - the echoing reminded her of when he was a ghost. Lydia appeared to have the same thought, smirking directly before her boyfriend scooped her up and rocketed into the sky. Karen frowned, feeling slightly offended at being left behind, before a whirlwind snatched her up and carried her away.
"Morro," Lydia shouted, the sound of the wind nearly drowning her out as they were carried high into the air. "This isn't gonna work. It never works."
"That's poor logic." He fired back. "I'm a new enemy. Why shouldn't I be able to beat them?"
"Because that's not how it works!"
"Oh, like you've always been such a stickler for the rules." Lydia opened her mouth to speak, but Morro covered it with his hand. He was so getting in trouble for that after he changed back.
"Hey, Hurricane!" A voice shouted, catching Morro's attention. A young woman in a red suit speckled with black dots stood on a rooftop below, holding what appeared to be a yo-yo in one hand. "Pourquoi tu ne viens pas ici et me battre?"
"Hey, Ladybug!" He called back mockingly. "Pourquoi tu ne viens pas à moi? Et où est ton ami, le chat?" He continued. "Ou devrais-je dire, Adrien Agr-?"
Lydia smacked him in the face.
"Hey!" He snapped at her, removing his hand. "Cut it out! Can't you see I'm trying to protect you?"
"Absolutely no revealing Chat's identity." She hissed. "That will mess everything up."
"L'identité de Chat Noir?" Hawkmoth's voice came from Morro's mask. "Par tous les moyens, allez-y." Lydia went to smack him again, but Morro released her, carrying her a few feet away so she couldn't hinder him as he spoke.
"La véritable identité de Chat Noir," He proclaimed. "Est Adrian Agreste."
A pause. Lydia was nervously fiddling with her necklace, gears in her head obviously turning as she wondered how they would get out of this mess.
"C'est impossible." Hawkmoth stated coldly. "Adri- le garçon Agreste ne peut pas être Chat Noir. Je les ai vus tous les deux en même temps, c'est clair qu'ils ne sont pas pareils."
"Je l'ai vu moi-même!" Morro snapped. "Pourquoi mentirais-je?!"
"Ensuite, obtenez Miraculous de Chat Noir et prouvez-le-moi." Hawkmoth fired back. "Ou je vais vous dépouiller de vos pouvoirs."
"What are they saying?" Karen signed.
"I have no idea." Lydia signed back.
"Le Papillon is less than impressed with the revelation that Adrian Agreste is Chat Noir." Morro (Hurricane?) remarked. "But I suppose he'll see."
Lydia opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted as a rock smacked into her boyfriend's head, sending the both of them plummeting a few feet before he caught them again.
"Hey!" Lydia yelped, throwing her arms out instinctively as Hurricane let out a snarl.
"Faites attention!" And then Karen was snatched from the air, a figure dressed in a black bodysuit and cat ears landing lithely on the roof of a tall building. "Are you okay?" Chat's emerald eyes gazed down at her, and the raven-haired teen gave him a thumbs-up. "Let's get you down to safety." He shot a nervous glance at Hurricane, still hovering above with Lydia in his clutches, before he leaped down to earth and set her upright in an alley.
"I will return shortly." He promised, then clawed his way up the side of the building. Karen shot a glance around the alleyway, beating absently at her hair in an attempt to keep it down. It was empty, not too shockingly. Everyone with a lick of sense was hiding from the bad guy.
A roar from Morro had her gaze jerking back to the sky, just in time to see Chat bounce down with Lydia in his arms. Hurricane was hot on his heels, but was sidetracked by Ladybug as she delivered a flying kick to his abdomen, successfully drawing his attention away for a minute.
"This is terrible." Chat exclaimed before Lydia could even get a 'thank you' out. "Hurricane revealed my identity before the entire city. This is why no one can be allowed to know!"
"I know, I'm really sorry." Lydia winced as she was set on her feet. "Maybe we can make him out to be… straight-up wrong?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't blaming you." Chat Noir shook his head. "I only mean… this is a very bad situation."
"I know." Lydia sat down on the concrete with a thump. "Agh, and Ladybug… I'm guessing she heard that." A deep blush spread over Adrian's face.
"Ah… most likely." The teen buried his face in his hands.
"I hope she isn't disappointed."
"Um, I don't think so." Lydia's voice came out in a bit of a squawk. "Um. Anyway, I'm sure there's some way to fix this."
"If Paris were to see Adrian and Chat Noir at the same time, they would be convinced that it was not you, correct?" Karen signed. Adrian raised an eyebrow, and Lydia relayed her message.
"I suppose?" He allowed. "But how would we find someone to play Adrian? I've done it once before, but I have no one around who fits my description." Lydia drifted towards the end of the alley, trying to catch a glimpse of her akumatized boyfriend.
"We could have someone play Chat instead?" She suggested. "He's a lot more recognizable, sort of? From a distance, a gorgeous blond boy could be anyone, but a guy in a black cat-themed bodysuit with a magic stick can pretty much only be one guy."
"I suppose, but who would be Chat? You two- and him-" He gestured to the sky. "Are the only ones who know my identity, and I can't- I don't- I can't trust you that well, I barely know you, but at least you don't live here!"
"Hey, hey." Lydia backtracked a bit, giving him a small pat on the arm. "You're gonna be fine. We'll find a way out of this, promise." He shot her a pained look, clearly not convinced.
Lydia grinned, thumbing at her own face. "I'll be Chat."
"What?" Adrian sputtered. "That's- I'm sorry, you're not the chosen for the Miraculous, and besides, your hair is dark!" Karen just rested her chin on her hand, watching with interest.
"It doesn't have to be for long." Lydia countered. "They just need to see 'oh hey that's Chat Noir' and 'oh hey that's fashion model and local heartthrob Adrian Agreste' at the same time. Probably go and do something dumb so that all the cameras and stuff are on you, then I can yeet past just long enough to prove him wrong." Chat rubbed his chin.
"I think… it might work?" He spoke haltingly, fingering the ring where it rested over his glove. "If… I can trust you, and everything goes right…?"
"So our options are just do nothing and you get outed as Adrian/Chat, or you do this and idk, we might fail but we also might get everyone off your trail." Lydia counted them off her fingers, then held them up like a victory sign. "Downsides? I don't see any."
"I… don't… okay." Chat squared his shoulders. "You have to be very careful. Don't let Ladybug see you up close, okay?"
"Okay." Lydia nodded enthusiastically. "I'll just show myself, and then you can back off and I'll pass the ring back. Okay?"
"Okay." Chat reached for his ring, then stopped. "Don't use cataclysm, okay?"
"I won't."
"Claws off." In a burst of green light, Adrian Agreste was himself again, accompanied by a little flying… back… cat-bug. The creature floated lazily away from its' master, giving the girls a critical eye.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est? Avez-vous des copines maintenant?"
"Non, mais ce sera votre utilisateur Miraculous pendant un certain temps." Adrian reached for the ring, hesitated, then slipped it off. He flexed his hand a couple times, unused to the lack of his prized piece of jewelry, before he handed it off to Lydia. She didn't waste a second in slipping it on, and adjusting it on her hand before she looked up with a grin of sheer joy on her face.
"Plagg, claws out!"