A/N: I wanted to adress a comment made by a Mariah who is a guest so I couldn't message to answer her questions.
Did you change her name because in the story she goes by lucy while on your title story it says lucie? Yes, I originally had it as Lucie as the french version of Lucy but decided to make her American and am super Lazy and never edited the story Bio.
also will lucy/lucie get her own miraculous? She has one! Some people have been a little confused by this, but Lucy has the bunny miraculous instead of Alix. Much like Alix, she has yet to actually use it and wont for some time, but it is the reason she has been having deja vu dreams and I will be going more into that in later chapters.
two more things if she does get a miraculous or something as powerful it is said in april shanghai that a magic jewel is coming in? As much as I enjoy the show, I don't follow very closely with news or forums about it so whatever jewel is coming into play, I know nothin about it.
Also second maybe Lucy/lucie discovers who chat noir and ladybug are because of oblivio the one who erases memories maybe lucy can be caught with ladybug and cat noir but never gets hit and sees them transform then when ladybug uses her lucky charm it returns everything to normal except lucy still remembers who they are and nearly freaks out but vows to keep it a secret for the sake of her friends like Talia? We are still on season 2 in my story so it will be a bit before we make it to that point. I have some ideas floating around with that but since I don't pre plan my chapter idea, I kind of just make something to go with the flow of the episode, I wont really know what I want to do until I'm closer to that point.
Hope that answers everything for you! Now back to the story!
We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It's easy. The first boy Lucy ever loved was someone she knew in sixth grade. His name was Andy; They talked about horses. The last boy she loves will be someone she hasn't even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like. These are the most important people in your life, and you'll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there's still one more tier to all this; there is always one person you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it happens eventually. This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of these loveable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable. The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they're often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really, want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else.
"You're going to be...Chat Noir?" She spoke through the face time app on her phone to Adrien. The blonde boy sighed and rubbed his face.
"My father has been making Clara Nightnegals outfits since she first started out. He couldn't think of anyone better to play the part." Adrien explained frustrated. He didn't want to play the part of Chat Noir. He feared people would recognize him. Plagg had told him not to worry. That his miraculous would do its thing and no one would even realize it but that didn't stop Adrien from worrying. Lucy couldn't help but laugh.
"And you can't say no?"
"He made it very clear that I had no choice in the matter," Adrien told her, a bitter tone in his voice. Lucy gave him a sympathetic look.
"Well, I'm sorry you're being forced. Surprised it's bothering you though. Thought you were a big Chat Noir fan?"
"I am! I mean...I guess...I just..."
"Adrien," Lucy said, stopping the flustered boy. "It's okay. If you don't wanna do it, you don't wanna do it. If it makes you feel any better I might be up there with ya." Adrien raised an eyebrow.
"You're trying out for Ladybug?"
"Oh, no, not at all. Alya and the girls are all going to try out as extras. She insisted I join them. So while you're up there shakin' your tail, the girls and I will be getting down in the background." Lucy told him while bobbing her head side to side. A notification noise came from Lucy's phone, making her stop her antics.
"Oh, hey Luka's calling me."
"Luka?"
"Yeah, he is supposed to come with Julika to the audition thing too. I'm sure a lot of people are really. I'll talk to you later okay?"
Adrien forced a small smile. "Yeah, sure. Later." Lucy told him goodbye and the screen went black leaving Adrien to his thoughts. Luka came up a lot lately. It seemed he and Lucy had been hanging out more often these days. Luka was a really cool guy. The few times Adrien had met up with him and the others for band practice, he had learned just how mellow and nice Luka could be. As a whole, Adrien enjoyed Luka's company and really enjoyed being his friend. However, what Adrien did not like was Lucy's sudden attachment to the blue-haired boy. Nothing she ever said about Luka could really be taken into romantic context, and Luka never gave the impression that he might be interested in Lucy either, but the fact that Luka seemed almost as close with Lucy as he himself was didn't sit right with Adrien. He had been nervous to lay on any charm to Lucy, not wanting to scare her off and also wanting to be mindful of any feelings she might still have for him as Chat. He hadn't visited her as often as Chat as he once did. It was easier that way. When they were together as of late, things were slowly starting to feel comfortable again, but there was still a thickness that tended to linger in the air if he stuck around too long. Now with Luka becoming more and more of a constant in Lucy's life, Adrien feared that maybe he was being a little too patient and that his chances with Lucy might be slipping away.
OoOoOo
"I'm almost positive Marinette will be there. Alya basically made her promise."
"I didn't say anything about Marinette." Luka clarified getting an eye roll from Lucy.
"You didn't have to Mr 'Yeah, Julika told me about how you and the girls were all gonna go. So who all is going anyway?' I can read you like a book good sir."
Luka gave a breathy laugh. "Yeah well, it goes both ways girly." Lucy chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah yeah. I know. You really like her though huh?" Luka sighed and gave a small shrug.
"I mean, I don't really know her that well but there is just something about her. I can't quite put my finger on it. Her song...it keeps playing in my head but the tune...its..almost jumbled. Like one melody trying to sync with another." He explained or at least tried to.
Lucy hummed in response. "I guess Marinette is just a little more complicated than she appears."
"I guess I kinda like complicated." Luka joked and Lucy smiled.
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
OoOoOoOoO
Later that afternoon Lucy stood with Luka, Alya, Marinette, Julika, Alix, Mylene, and Rose in line to be extras in Clara's video. The line across from them was for those auditioning for the part of Ladybug. (I know Luka doesn't appear in line with the girls in the beginning but since he ends up in the music video along with several other people we didn't see, I felt it wasn't a big deal to add him to the squad.) Clara came on stage and greeted everyone who showed up to audition before introducing the boy chosen to play Chat Noir. Lucy, already in on the secret grinned as Adrien's name came through the speaker. As it did Adrien appeared in his Chat Noir costume. Lucy watched as he waved at the mix of strangers and familiar faces, an uncomfortable smile on his features.
"Didn't I tell you Adrien kinda looks like Chat Noir," Alya spoke to Marinette who denied it entirely, saying that Adrien was a thousand times more amazing than Chat Noir. Lucy tilted her head and examined Adrien in his costume. It was strange. Adrien did not have his mask on and without it, he kind of looked like a kid who just decided to dress up as a black cat for Halloween, not one of the superheroes of Paris. Adrien was a similar build to Chat. They had to be roughly the same height and their hair color was also a close match if it wasn't exact, though Chat hair rested more wildly than Adrien's did. His eyes were another story. Chat's eyes were entirely tinted green, even in the areas that would normally be white. They also had a cat-like shape in the iris. Lucy assumed this was due to his miraculous. She had never wondered what Chat's natural eye color was before but seeing Adrien dressed as him made her curious. Are his eyes also green or are they a different color entirely? She supposed it was safer not to know. She was already aware Adrien was not Chat Noir. She had seen them together a few weeks ago. Still, the similarities were definitely there.
"So, why didn't Talia wanna come again?" Luka asked as he watched the auditions for Ladybug begin.
"She just didn't want to," Lucy told him, though that wasn't quite the truth. The real reason being that Talia was a little peeved that a song was written about the hero's of Paris, yet there was no casting call for Tigress. Lucy could understand where Talia was coming from. She didn't know why Clara didn't need or want a Tigress, but it wasn't like she could just ask her either. So instead of sucking it up and joining the party, Talia took the petty route and said pass.
"Yeah, I guess Clara Nightengale isn't really her taste anyway," Luka said, earning a nod from Lucy. He was right. It wasn't. But she probably would have shown up if her alter ego had been included.
The quest to find Ladybug was long and Adrien couldn't help but feel more and more awkward as he stood on the stage with each new person. He glanced down the extras line to see the group of familiar faces giving him thumbs up and waving. Adrien waved back and gave a small smile that was short-lived as he eyed Luka and Lucy laughing together. He didn't understand why he felt this way. Lucy had plenty of male friends. She talked to Nino all the time. Seen her with Nathaniel and Kim and Max plenty of other times as well. None of them had ever made him feel like his place beside Lucy was in jeopardy the way Luka did. It made Adrien feel guilty because for all he knew, their relationship was just as friendly as any other and technically he didn't have any right being jealous of who Lucy spent her time with. Yet, as he watched them joke around and Lucy elbow the tall guitarist playfully, Adrien could feel the green-eyed monster rear its head. He forced himself to bring his attention back to the task at hand. A task he was hoping would be over soon. Hours seem to pass and slowly the Ladybug line got shorter and shorter until it was completely empty. The only problem was that after all those auditions, a Ladybug had yet to be chosen. Clara frowned before looking along the line of extras. An idea popped into her head as she grabbed a tray of goodies and walked along the line. Tripping and dropping to the floor, Marinette was the first to run over and help the singer who smiled brightly at her, claiming that she would be Ladybug. Marinette looked to the stage and thought about how wonderful it would be to play Ladybug alongside Adrien in the video. Then she remembered Tikki and how playing Ladybug could give away her identity. She sighed and looked to the hopeful Clara with sad eyes.
"That's so nice of you, and...I'm one of your hugest fans, but...I came here to be an extra with my friends, and I really wanna stay with them."
Clara was a sweetheart and did not hold Marinette's choice against her, but instead offered her to be in the video as well as all of her friends who leaped with excitement. All of them happy but very surprised that Marinette would give up such a prime opportunity to be close to Adrien. A bit of guilt hit Marinette as she thought about how easy it would have been for her to leave them if her identity had not been at risk. The doors of the hall swung open and Chloe, dressed in Ladybug cosplay waltzed in with her father close behind her.
"Thank you all for coming. You can go home now." She said as she made her way to the stage.
"Uh, heads up; brat alert in the immediate vicinity." Alya poked, but Marinette was unfazed.
"Don't worry. Knowing Nightingale, Chloé doesn't stand a chance of being chosen." Lucy raised an eyebrow and Alya also couldn't help but be taken back by Marinette's confidence.
"Wow! What's happening to you today?" Alya spoke, taking a bow in front of Marinette. "I have to bow before so much wisdom!"
"That's right. From now on, the name's Master Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
The group laughed together as Chloe got on the stage and addressed Clara, letting her know she was ready o be Ladybug. Adrien reminded Chloe that she would have to audition like everyone else, a task Chloe seemed to think was unnecessary but went along with anyway. Lucy had to admit, it seemed very clear that Chloe had been taking some kind of dance lessons, as her performance was rather impressive. If it wasn't for her poor attitude, she might make an exceptional Ladybug stand-in. Clara had no problem telling Chloe that she did in fact have the talent to play the part, however, she needed to make sure that Chloe and Adrien could work well together. Chloe assured her it would be no problem since she and Adrien had been friends for so long. Chloe's father also made the point to step in and tell Clara how much better the video would be to have the world's best fashion designer's son and the Mayor of Paris's daughter playing the part of Chat Noir and Ladybug. Clara consulted with Gabriel who mentioned that artistically Marinette would have been the better choice but Chloe would do fine. Marinette fumed at the idea of Chloe playing Ladybug, more so than the fact that she would be in the video with Adrien. A fact that Alya and the others couldn't help but be surprised by.
"Taking Chloe being chosen as Ladybug a little personally don't ya think Mari?" Lucy asked. Marinette pouted and shook her head. "All I am saying is that if I were Ladybug I wouldn't want a brat like Chloe playing me!"
Lucy rolled her eyes as Marinette stormed to the stage and announced she had changed her mind and that she would play Ladybug. Lucy shook her head. It was a petty move on her friend's part. Chloe might not be the ideal Ladybug in a personality sense, but it was just a music video. All Chloe was going to do was dance around in a costume, not go around giving impressions and signing autographs. What was done was done though, and Chloe was left enraged at being tossed aside so easily. She stormed out with her father following after her and Lucy couldn't help but wonder what plan Chloe would conduct to get her way. After all, if Chloe was anything it was determined. If she wanted to be Ladybug for a day she would be, and if she couldn't nobody would.
"Your little girlfriend is such a punk sometimes you know that?" Lucy joked to Luka who shrugged.
"Can you blame her? I don't even know that other girl but she was giving off mucho bad vibes."
Lucy sighed and walked over to the stage where Adrien stood as Marinette went to change into her costume. Even with most of the other people gone he still seemed stressed.
"You good princess? Lookin' a little tense up there." She poked as she leaned against the stage. Adrien rand his hands through his hair and walked over to the edge of the stage where Lucy was, crouching down next to her.
"Can I go home yet?"
Lucy laughed and shook her head. "I think you're stuck here for a while longer. Seriously though, are you alright? I've never seen you so...nervous before."
Adrien would love to tell Lucy the reason he was so anxious to get off that stage. The weight would be lifted if he had literally anyone he could explain this problem to besides Plagg. But of course, he couldn't do that, so he did what he had to do. Lie.
"I'm uh...I'm just nervous about playing Chat Noir. Yeah...I mean, he's such a...cool guy. The coolest guy actually, and I'm just...me." So there was truth in the lie a little bit maybe. Lucy frowned at Adrien, reaching up and swatting his knee with the back of her hand.
"Hey. Adrien is a cool guy too okay? Don't worry about being Chat Noir, just be yourself. This," She said, pinching his boot. "It's just a costume."
Adrien looked at Lucy. She always seemed to know just what to say. One of the things he loved about Lucy was how well she seemed to see him. Really see him, even if she didn't realize it herself. Adrien had always found his alter ego to be so different from his own personality. Someone who he could be if he wasn't himself. But he was himself. It's just a costume.
"Yeah..." He said a soft smile on his lips. "I know."
"Now, go get em' Catboy. Meeeeoooowwww." Lucy said making claw motions with her hand.
Adrien rolled his eyes. "You know...we were having a moment there and...you ruined it. You ruined it by being weird."
"You look ridiculous by the way!" Lucy said as she finger gunned him before making her way back to their friends.
OoOoOooOo
Marinette looked at herself in the mirror in a panic. She looked way too much like herself. If she put that mask on there was no way people wouldn't put it together. Tikki seemed less bothered by her appearance and more so amazed at the craftsmanship. Gabriel Agreste knew his stuff, that was for sure. Marinette hid the mask under some towels as a knock on the door alerted her it was time to come out. As she got on the stage she was greeted by Adrien as her friends cheered. Clara showed them the dance moves which the two copied but remained out of sync.
"Kinda reminds you of cheer moves doesn't it?" Lucy said aloud to no one in particular. Alix chuckled in agreement. "Adrien and Marinette: Chat Noir and Ladybug masocts."
Clara asked for the two to hold hands so that their moves could be more in sync and the others watched as Adrien and Marinette looked around bashfully. Lucy raised an eyebrow. Watching how uncomfortable those two were acting up there was starting to make her uncomfortable as well.
"This is awkward to watch," Luka stated earning a nod from Lucy.
"Well, Marinette is holding hands with her crush, sorry,"
"No need to apologize it is what it is," Luka assured.
"And Adrien literally wants to be anywhere else. Not that that has anything to do with Marinette really but if he can tell she's uncomfortable he's probably going to assume it's because she feels weird about holding his hand rather than because she's super excited to hold his hand ya know?"
Before they could discuss it further Chloe was back with her father. In his hands, a large stack of papers which based on the list of random words he seemed to be throwing together are permit forms. As Lucy predicted, Chloe was making sure that if she couldn't play Ladybug, no one would and was having her father shut down the whole production with some nonsense about not filling out the right paperwork. The singer apologized to her fans, torn up about how she would not be able to follow through with her plans, and ran off to her dressing room.
"Seriously Chloe?" Lucy said, her hands resting on her hips. Adrien and Marinette got off the stage and made their way to their dressing rooms to change out of their costumes.
"What? Like you're surprised?"
Lucy shook her head. "No, no I'm not.
Some people, not knowing what else to do began to leave. Alya sighed.
"At least I got some cool photos. Marinette's going to love them."
A laugh was heard and above everyone on the catwalk appeared...Harley Quinn? The woman had straight blonde hair tied back into two high ponytails with dark gray, star-shaped hair bands. She has heterochromia as her left eye is light brilliant sea green and her right eye is vivid raspberry color. The tips of her hair on her left ponytail and right side bang are red, and the tips on her right ponytail and left side bang are green. Her face is white, and she wears multicolored shades with star-like side edges. Her dark gray suit has a light blue pointed tip over each shoulder. A cyan star with a black outline is printed on her chest, her upper back includes an upward shooting star design, and the rest of her suit is decorated with neon cyan, yellow, and magenta shapes. At her feet, she has pink platform soles and cyan high heels. She also holds a wand with a dark blue swirled handle, a rounded pink bottom tip, a black star at the top, and a white-edged pink circle between the star and the handle.
"Sing, dance or rhyme, or you'll be frozen in no time!" Disco Quinn spoke as she sent some kind of magic at Chloe and her father.
"What is she talking about?" Chloe asked as she and her father approached the stage. "Dancing and making rhymes? And why not play the trumpet too, while you're at it—" Suddenly her body froze into a pink metallic material causing everyone to gasp. Her father quickly comes up with a rhyme to not be affected by the spell. This seems to please the villain as she then starts targeting civilians. Those running away instead of dancing or singing instantly froze like Chloe.
"Should we run for it?" Luka asked as he and the others crouched near the stage. Lucy looked at her friends and back at the other frozen people and sighed.
"Do you trust Ladybug to fix it?" She asked. An echo of yeses came from her friends earning a nod from Lucy.
"Me too. So fuck it."
Lucy stood and was quickly spotted by the villain and hit with her magic. Lucy and the villain stared at each other before Lucy lifted both hands and began to do the macarena only to end it with both hands flipping the bird before she froze in place that way. The villain growled in annoyance as Lucy's friends looked at one another.
"Now that was badass," Alix said before hopping up and copying Lucy, freezing beside her. Alya and the others looked shared a look before shrugging and all standing up giving the villain a nice synchronized macarena fuck you before freezing in place that way. Frightengale glared at the group before leaping out of the building. She had a mission to carry out after all. Ladybug and Chat appeared just after but before either of them could say anything to one another, they both caught sight of their frozen middle finger flipping friends. Noticing Lucy at the heart of their stance she shook her head and looked at Chat.
"Your little girlfriend is such a punk sometimes you know that?"
Chat grinned while looking at Lucy admirably. "Yeah. She sure is."
OoOoOoOoOo
Lucy sat with her friends in the Library as they watched the new version of Clara's video. One where everyone got to be in it and no one, in particular, played Ladybug or Chat Noir.
"It's so much better like this!" Rose said as the video played. Mylene smiled and agreed.
"At least now everybody gets to be in it!"
"Besides, even though Marinette and Adrien kinda look like Ladybug and Cat Noir, they really weren't believable," Alya said as she referred to the ever so awkward time the two had spent on stage in costume.
Marinette nodded. "I couldn't agree more! And I wouldn't have had any fun playing Ladybug. It was so much better being with you guys!" Rose, Mylene, and Alix run over and give Marinette a hug while Alya, Kim, Juleka lean into joining it.
"Yeah, I prefer this version, too. I couldn't have pulled off playing Cat Noir." Adrien added getting an eye roll and nudge from Lucy who sat on the arm of the couch.
"I know," Marinette said dismissively. "Worlds apart!" Lucy and Adrien gave Marinette a curious look.
"Didn't know you knew Chat Noir so well Marinette," Lucy said with a small smirk. Marinette got up from her seat and ran over to Adrien, not wanting to have offended him.
"What I meant was that you'd be more lame as Cat Noir than in real life. No! N-Not that you're lame in real life, right? It's just, compared to Cat Noir, you're just, I mean...you don't look a thing like him, that's what I mean."
"Mari...you have such a way with words." Lucy joked as Adrien chuckled.
"And you don't look a thing like Ladybug either."
"Weeellll." Lucy started. It had been a while since she had thought much about Ladybugs identity. As she gazed over Marinette's features Lucy tried to picture her in the costume with the mask. For a second it seemed so clear but then...what was she thinking about again?
"Uh, yeah, I mean, I'm sure she's not as funny as you are!" Adrien said earning a smile from Marinette.
"Yeah."
OoOoOoOoOo
So not gonna lie, as I was writing this the song "Not Today" By Imagine dragons was playing in my head. Idk, it seemed to fit.
Adrien walked with Lucy, offering to escort her home. The walk together was mostly quiet, which Adrien didn't mind. He thought about earlier, when she tried to comfort him on stage. It's just a costume. The words still sat fresh in his mind.
"I wanted to thank you." He spoke, getting Lucy to look at him.
"For what?"
"Earlier. For trying to make me feel better."
Lucy gave him a small smile. "Of course, but Adrien, you don't have to do that you know?"
"What?"
"Try so hard."
Adrien stopped walking as he thought over her words. "You think I try too hard?" Lucy sighed and stopped, turning around to look at him.
"Sometimes. Yeah. You seem to have this problem where you think you won't meet the expectations that people have of you. You're friends especially. You don't need to do that though." Lucy crossed her arms and walked closer to Adrien. "I couldn't pull off playing Chat Noir. He's this cool guy and I'm just me. Come on man."
"What? It's true! Chat Noir is a crime-fighting superhero and I'm just a guy. A guy who...plays piano and...fences. A guy who...can hardly leave his house and-"
"A guy who is kind and humble and devoted. A guy who is honest and friendly to everyone." Lucy added. "Adrien, you don't have to be a superhero for people to like you. Trust me, they already do. You and Chat Noir are very different people on the outside, but inside..." She said pointing to his chest. "You are so very similar." Adrien looked at Lucy and frowned seeing her smiling at him while her eyes seemed to get glossy.
"These similarities you're talking about...do they make you sad? That I remind you of him somehow?"
No..." Lucy said softly, still smiling at him. "No, not at all. Chat is a good person Adrien. And so are you. It will never make me sad to be able to see that."
"Then why are you..?" Adrien reached out to wipe a stray tear. Lucy shook her head and pulled away.
"Because I know you. I know you and it makes sense for me to care and love you because you're my friend. And it continues to astonish me how I can recognize those same feelings in someone I hardly knew at all."
Adrien wanted to stay stuck on the words love you. He almost did but the rest of her statement managed to come through just as clearly.
"Well...I mean you did know him."
"Did I?" Lucy sighed wiped away her tears. "I know who he is as a person. That's the important stuff really. But I didn't know him. Why he is the person he is. The details. I couldn't know any of it. That's not his fault, I know exactly why he couldn't share with me but...I don't know. It's just strange to me how I was able to find myself so infatuated with only part of a person."
Adrien had never understood the concept of infatuation. It has always been his understanding that being 'infatuated' with someone means you think you are in love, but you're actually not; infatuation is (supposedly) just a foolish, fleeting feeling. But if being 'in love' is an abstract notion, and it's not tangible, and there is no way to physically prove it to anyone else… well, how is being in love any different than having an infatuation? They're both human constructions. If you think you're in love with someone and you feel like you're in love with someone, then you obviously are; thinking and feeling is the sum total of what love is. Why do we feel an obligation to certify emotions with some kind of retrospective, self-imposed authenticity?
"Well..."Adrien started. "Even if you could only love a part of him...I'm sure he loved all of you." Lucy gave a small chuckle.
"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Adrien had to choose his next words carefully.
"Because you're my friend too. And I love you." He admitted. "And if Chat is like me, then how could he not?"
Lucy offered him another smile before linking her arm with his and leaning her head on his shoulder as they began to walk again in silence.
Wow, 2 chapters with almost a 24 hour period? Crazy, hopefully, it makes up for some of my absence. As always I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you like and comment to let me know what you think! I can't wait to hear from you and as always I will see you in the next chapter!