Blair - or rather, Calico the fox under the guise of Adrien Agreste - gracefully climbed out of the limousine the Gorilla parked outside Francoise Dupont College. She closed the door behind her and the Gorilla drove away. Deep breath in, deep breath out. This is it. There is no going back.
It's time to take her first steps in Adrien Agreste's shoes.
Literally. She's wearing his bright orange sneakers that sooo doesn't go with her outfit in case she has to walk somewhere and needed to leave the right foot prints. Small sacrifices. Just like how she forgone Master Hisui's magic cologne that masks certain scents so she can smell like Camembert. It's all for the act. Blair has more than a dozen contingency plans running in her head in case she slipped. She's got it all covered.
Plagg put her and Trixx through a five-hour workshop on how to be Adrien Agreste. Her illusions are perfect, all angles double checked to match the real thing and move seamlessly. Plagg can continue to direct from her shoulder, invisible under the same illusion covering Blair. Every line, every mannerism; practiced to perfection. Smile for the audience for this school will be her stage.
This is the most important performance of her life.
There is no room for failure.
Like the professional she is, Blair followed Plagg's script to the letter. Greet teachers here. Wave back at adoring schoolmates there. Flash a smile at any classmate whose faces Plagg made sure she memorized - which is probably the easiest part of the act. How could she not?
Being from Helios City, Blair grew up on stories of them. For a year now, she became one of them. Recently, the guardian shared with her the civilian sides to them. Now, she's surrounded by legends! Well, future legends anyway. For now, they were teenagers going to the same school - most of them in the same class.
Like, oh! There's Purple Tigress securing her bike with a lock. Pigella stood by her side holding her bag. Such a pair of sweethearts, those two. Better greet them a chipper good morning.
Blair waved back at Polymouse and Minotaurus who were holding hands by the lockers.
King Monkey gave her a high five, followed by mini-Bunnix with a low five and a simple even-levelled five from Pegasus as the former two raced their way out with the latter keeping up.
At the courtyard, Rooster Bold lightly elbowed Caprikid to look up from the sketchpad they were pouring over to exchange a nod with Blair.
Vesperia gave a quick greeting as she made her way down the hallway to her own class.
Queen Bee, the one who went from a villain to an anti-heroine and part-time bee-wielder, stuck her nose up at Blair as she passed by at a more leisurely pace, Miss Hound trailing behind her.
And of course, the main heroes Blair will be spending most of her time here with should be sitting just behind this door, waiting for class to begin. She reached for the door knob, tempering her excitement - only for the door to move on its own and swing open to reveal one of the people she was anticipating to meet the most.
Carapace, the turtle hero of protection. Loyal best friend to Chat Noir. Boyfriend and future husband to Rena Rouge. Reliable shield to Ladybug. Predecessor to Master Hisui and-
"Whatsup, m'dude?"
Nino initiated their own super-secret handshake that Blair was able to follow along.
So far so good - no, better than good. It was AWESOME! It's a good thing Mirage Disguise covers up her real face, cause Blair could barely contain how absolutely starstruck she is. Wait 'til she gets back home and tell Blake how she got to spend a week with legendary heroes!
"Morning, bro!" Blair greeted back with equal gusto. "How's it going?"
The mood died a sudden death and Nino solemnly asked if they could talk.
Alone.
What's got him down so early in the morning?
0-0-0-0-0
To Nino's relief, Adrien agreed to talk to him in private. They went into his secluded little spot in the school's boiler room. His noir style set-up was still there: the poster of a city meant to look like a window, the old office desk he fixed up, the dingy lamp providing just the right amount of light for the atmosphere and the radio currently playing sad saxophone music to set the mood.
Adrien took a seat in front of the desk, staring at the set-up with wonder. Nino felt a small surge of pride. This is the second time he brought his friend over to his detective set, yet he seems to appreciate it more on second sight.
But he didn't bring Adrien here to admire his set skills. Nino regaled him with tales of last night's mission. When Ladybug barged into his room to enlist his help as Carapace, he wasn't expecting trouble at such a scale. Akumas of past were everywhere, but none were caused by Shadowmoth - not by the present one anyway. Paris was overrun by time lost apparitions.
"Are you sure you should be telling me this?" Adrien asked, green eyes looking left and right like someone might eavesdrop on them.
"Alya's running late."
A quick check on his phone showed him Alya's last message. She had to stay behind to discuss things with Ladybug, Bunnix, and that new Chat Noire. She hasn't messaged him since.
"You're the only one I could talk to about this," Nino took a seat on the cushy desk chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Last night was crazy, dude! Like, you wouldn't believe. Even crazier to think is Chat Noir is gone!"
"Gone?" Adrien's voice pitched with worry.
"Gone-gone! Like, Abracadabra! Chat Noir poofed out of thin air. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie. Time went whack. Things were falling in and out of the present - including our Chat Noir!"
"That's not good," Adrien said. Understatement of the century, bud.
"I asked Ladybug what happened to Chat Noir. She said he's supposed to be safe in a different time and will be back by next week. But I just… I can't help but worry."
Adrien got up to give Nino a side hug as good bros do.
"I can't believe he's gone…" Nino rubbed his eyes.
"Ladybug said he'd be back, right? Trust Ladybug," Adrien said, ever the optimist.
Nino was still wracked with guilt. Adrien gently prompted him to tell him more and that opened up a dam. There was always something about Adrien that made it easy for Nino to open up. He has that vibe about him that tells Nino he could tell this boy anything and he'd try his best to understand. Granted, being a sheltered kid, he's still pretty naïve and a lot of things go over his head… But it's the lack of judgement on his part that makes him a great listener.
It all started with the Rocketear incident. Nino jumped into conclusions about Alya and Chat Noir. Got blinded by jealousy. Shadowmoth took advantage. Tried to blow up Chat Noir and said a lot of mean things about him while he was at it. He saw the recordings of that incident. Chat Noir did not fight back and would've let Rocketear beat him to a pulp had Ladybug not intervened.
Since then, whenever Ladybug recruited Carapace for something, Chat Noir kept his distance from him. He puts on a smile which eerily reminded Nino of Adrien's totally fake smile he puts on whenever he asks Nino to please be understanding of that old coot's crummy excuses for making him cancel his plans with his friends. Chat Noir doesn't joke as much as he used to. Sometimes, the cat flat out doesn't show up.
"He must be avoiding me. What I said must've gotten to him. He thinks I hate him!"
"Nino, are you sure his problem is with you?" Adrien asked with his eyes averted. "I mean, his problem could be closer to home for all you know…"
"Whatever his problem is, I'm sure I only contributed to it," Nino pulled his hat down. "I wanted to apologize, but I didn't have the guts and now he's gone!"
"There, there," Adrien softly squeezed him by the arm in reassurance. "It's only for a week. He'll come back. Next time he shows up, you can apologize then. You got this."
"But what if Chat Noir never forgives me and I ruin the team forever?!"
Adrien let out a sigh. He let go of Nino, spun his desk chair around so they're properly face to face. Adrien placed both hands on his shoulders and made him look up to his emerald eyes.
"Even if he doesn't forgive you, he deserves to hear your apology," Adrien said in a tone that's both kind yet full of conviction. "An apology should be given because the person who made it is acknowledging they did something wrong and are taking accountability. That's what makes an apology sincere."
Nino's eyes widen. He's never heard Adrien talk like this before. The way he said it still sounded well-meaning, but the words… He says this like it's something that cut him deeply. Then, like a spell being broken, Adrien was back to his usual self.
"Besides, I'm sure Chat Noir will forgive you," in a quieter voice, he added in a tone Nino can't quite name... "He seems like a very forgiving person from what I've seen."
With a pat on Nino's shoulder, Adrien let go. He stood up straight and pulled Nino up from his seat.
"We should head back to class. Wouldn't wanna be late," Adrien said with a cheerful smile.
Adrien led Nino out of the boiling room. On the way out, Nino stared at the back of Adrien's head. Did something happen to him? What did his old man said this time? Even if Nino asked, Adrien would just shrug it off and tell him all is fine in Agreste town. He wishes there was more he could do to help his buddy out.
Despite how weird it was, Nino is still thankful for his advice. Trust Adrien to look at things at an angle most people wouldn't. Nino's now more sure than ever of his next step as a hero. Next time he sees Chat Noir, he will apologize to him whether he forgives him or not. It's the least he deserves.
0-0-0-0-0
Blair made a pitstop at the bathroom. She told Nino to go ahead, which he thankfully obliged. As soon as she locked the cubicle shut, she dropped the Mirage Disguise and detransformed.
Trixx and Plagg popped into existence, one significantly more tired than the other. Plucking some grapes out of her bag for Trixx, she started pacing around the stall in panic at what she just discovered.
"Trixx, how much does Nino know?"
It was the most nerve-wracking conversation of her life! There were so many ways that could've played out wrong. It was a tightrope guessing what Adrien knows and doesn't know with Plagg doing his best to damage control on short notice by coaching her like a shoulder devil. It seems Alya knows Nino knows, as Nino would've talked to her had she been around… Hence why Trixx is now on the hot seat.
"Nino knows Alya was Rena Rouge since Heroes' Day, which Ladybug is aware of. Buuut then Alya decided to let Nino in on her new mission as Ladybug's stealth operative, Rena Furtive."
"And Ladybug isn't aware of it this time," Blair said with narrowed eyes full of judgement. "This is a serious breach of security."
Blair knows all about security breaches. It bit her hard in the back all because she didn't know someone knew. That's what kicked off the series of unfortunate events for Blair's summer break. This could be the start for Marinette's.
"Nino doesn't know about Ladybug's secret identity," Trixx defended his holder. "Alya swore to keep Marinette's secrets. She can trust her on that. But being Rena Furtive is Alya's secret. It should be her choice whether to share it or not."
"And now Nino shared her secret."
Blair shot Plagg the stink eye.
"Plagg, how much does Adrien know? A warning would've been appreciated."
"Nino at some point told Adrien that he and his girlfriend knew each other's secret identities. I guess it already happened."
"You guess?" Blair raised a brow.
"It's been a century and a half since this happened! Cut me some slack! It was a complicated web of lies I'd rather forget," Plagg crossed his stubby little arms and turned his nose up.
Blair rubbed her temples to ease the growing migraine. It was only the first day and Blair almost wanted to throw in the towel. Almost. Mom and Dad didn't raise a quitter.
"Let me get this straight: As far as Adrien knew at this point, Nino is Carapace and Alya is Rena Rouge. From Adrien's perspective, Rena Rouge is supposed to be benched. Neither Nino nor Alya has told him about Rena Furtive. Did I get that right?" Blair asked.
"Probably," Plagg helpfully shrugged.
"This is a mess," Blair ran a hand down her face and pulled her hair back. "How much is Adrien allowed to know?"
Plagg's little ears folded back as he grumpily said, "Not a lot."
How about Chat Noir?
The question stuck on Blair's throat. She swallowed it down. Blair's not sure she'd like the answer. As complicated as her life was back in Helios, back with her Ladybug, Blair never felt as out of the loop as she does right now in Adrien's shoes.
"And I'm supposed to continue playing dumb about all this?"
"It's not your mess to clean," Plagg said. "Remember kid, you're not supposed to mess with the timeline."
Blair bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reacting any more. There's gotta be a good logical reason behind all this, right? Blair herself is forbidden from knowing more than a few things now that her Hawkmoth is hot on her heels. It's all for her Bugsy's safety. Yeah. There must be some angle Blair is not seeing that Maribug's brilliant genius mind saw a mile away. It's probably something like that, isn't it?
… Isn't it?
Once Trixx was done eating his grapes, Blair transformed and reset her Mirage Disguise. It's a good thing Blair's real face is hidden behind an illusion. It would've broadcasted everything she'd rather not show.
0-0-0-0-0
Marinette slumped over her desk, half dead. Alya let her be. She deserves to take as much rest as she could after the nightmare of a night she had a few hours ago. Alya should be resting too. She didn't get much sleep either, worrying about entrusting Trixx to this new cat.
Blair Crawford. The Chat Noire from the year 2178. She may wear the same black leather as Chat Noir, but she's got the mind of a fox.
At first, she was excited to meet the future heroine. It's a new superhero! From the future! There is so much Alya wanted to ask her… She wonders if there are things she could still ask her without risking Bunnix going all TVA on them. It was exciting to learn there's still a Ladybug and a Fox hero somewhere far away.
Alya got to interview her for a bit. It's the fastest way for Alya to figure out the new cat that's got Marinette so freaked out.
From that, Alya saw a girl who's smart and confident. A bit of a tease, but still kind - she reassured Marinette about Chat Noir being safe once the future bug finds him. While it's too early to name the nature of Blair and her bug's relationship, she clearly has a lot of respect and admiration for her bug. Almost on par with their local cat towards his Lady, judging by that soft smile she wore while talking about him. If someone like Blair believes in him, then he must be reliable. Blair's close to her twin brother. Why else would she sound so excited to tell them about him? It's hard to be proud of something or someone but have no one to talk to about it. So relatable.
Overall, Blair made a good impression on Alya.
But then Blair asked Alya if she could borrow her Miraculous. She raised some legitimate concerns about the safety of Chat Noir's identity. Just… Just what kind of father does Chat Noir have to warrant that level of caution around him? And Bunnix - future Alix - is supporting this plan… Something tells Alya there's more they're not telling, and it's not just because it's Chat Noir's secret identity.
More secrets then. What else is new?
As uncomfortable as this plan made her feel, Alya refused to allow herself to jump to the wrong choice. It's why Alya chose to remain quiet and let the cat explain herself so Alya can assess her options better. Chat Noir's safety is depending on this. Not being the fox for a week is a small price to pay for the greater good.
Alya hopes she read Blair right when she chose to trust her.
Instead of worrying about it in circles, Alya opted to scroll around her phone for updates on the other time lost apparitions.
The t-rex was now under the care of this scientist who recently brought dinosaurs back to life. That one's no biggie. The other unusual creatures that got warped into the present were similarly taken care of.
The high-tech blimp Calico Cataclysmed has been restored by Miraculous Ladybug and is now parked by the Parc des Princes stadium. Other highly advanced technology such as the flying car or the couch with an AI and built-in potty have been confiscated by the government. There's an ongoing debate whether or not reverse-engineering them could be worth the risk of messing with the timeline.
The akumas have all been purified and accounted for. Mayor Bourgeois set up an emergency center for them along with other time lost humans to temporarily stay in. There, they are provided with everything they need but are not allowed to leave the premises in case they trigger a time paradox by meeting their present day counterparts or whatever.
Alya had to take a minute to roll her eyes considering Max had already ran into his doppelganger. Nothing happened. This feels like an unnecessary precaution.
Nino came into the room and it was enough to lift her mood. His eyes dipped down to her neck, bare of the Fox Miraculous. He nodded in silent understanding and gave her a quick hug.
Yeah, Alya doesn't regret telling him her secret.
They chatted for a bit about movies and music until Adrien came into the room.
0-0-0-0-0
"Morning, Sunshine," Rena Rouge greeted with an easy smile.
The fox heroine did so as she pulled the living legend Ladybug up from gracelessly lying over their shared desk with one hand. Marinette looked stiff as a board with that too huge grin, her face turning red upon seeing Blair- or rather, Adrien. Alya moved her friend's hand to wave at him mechanically.
"Morning good - I mean, good morning!"
"Good morning to you too," Blair greeted with Adrien's friendly smile. Apparently, the other cat had plenty of different smiles. Blair had to be careful to use the right one for the right occasion like a dining etiquette class.
All was going well, but by now, Blair should know better than think it'll last.
The rest of the class were crowding at the back of the room. Blair went on her tippy toes to peek over Ivan's shoulder at whatever spectacle they're gathering around.
It was an unfamiliar girl in a red leather jacket. Tanned skin and sharp olive green eyes. A smile as sharp as a knife. Long auburn hair that reaches down to her hips, tied into a fox tail much like Blair's - except Blair wore it better, of course. She did not tie her hair into two sausages to frame her heart-shaped face. Who is she?
"Lila Rossi," Marinette hissed, answering Blair's unvoiced question. "What could she be lying about this time?"
Underneath the Adrien illusion, Blair is still transformed with the Fox Miraculous. Using her enhanced sight and hearing, Blair was able to pick up the gossip.
"Poor Chat Noir, he fell into a time rift in his efforts to save his Lady," this Lila girl said in what has got to be the fakest sympathetic tone Blair has ever heard. "Fortunately, he left his ring behind, allowing Ladybug to recruit me to fill in the gap he left behind. Who better to entrust the Black Cat Miraculous to than her best friend?"
From the corner of Blair's eye, she noticed Alya's eye twitch.
"Bold claim coming from a clinical LIAR. Where's the ring she entrusted you, Lie-la?" Chloe sneered.
"I had to return it to Ladybug for safekeeping. I'm sure some of you here can confirm that's how it usually goes for us heroes Ladybug personally handpicked, doesn't it?" Lila said, faux innocently.
Chloe glared daggers at the girl. Lila clearly struck a nerve with the former (future reinstated?) Bee heroine. She's totally doing it on purpose while playing innocent. Blair knows a liar when she sees one.
"Be that as it may, Ladybug also enforced the secret identity rule among us. Why are you revealing yourself like this?" asked Max.
"She's only enforcing the secret identity rules to keep us safe from Shadowmoth. But I'm sure my secret is safe with you guys. I trust you all with my life, heart and soul," Lila said with her hands to her heart and a sickeningly sweet smile.
Marinette, Alya and Blair maintained the most deadpan of faces as the class collectively cooed at Lila's heartwarming words. Chloe rolled her eyes at all of them.
"Let's say Ladybug's a big fat hypocrite with her secret identity rules and leave it at that," Chloe started. Marinette growled at the accusation but said nothing. "How can you prove you are who you say you are?"
Lila flipped her hair and angled her face the same way Blair tends to do when she wants to max out her beauty in front of a camera.
"Greetings, people of Paris! There's no need to fear. I am Calico, here to protect you all in Chat Noir's stead," Lila finished her performance with a wink.
Before they left the Eiffel Tower, Alya suggested they explain to Paris what's going on with Chat Noir and the new cat in town to prevent a panic regarding Calico. It was a quick introduction and Blair opted to inject as much of her personality into it as possible. Leave an impression.
The way Lila copied Blair's movements looked so natural, it was uncanny.
The class went as far as to replay Calico's introduction video on their phones for comparison. Most of them agreed it was a perfect match. From the movements down to the cadence of her voice. They started comparing Lila's features to the new cat in town. The eyes are a little different, but Chat Noir's Miraculous tends to make them more cat-like beyond recognition. The heart-shaped face, the slope of her nose, and especially the smug little smirk remained the same. Everyone was convinced Lila is indeed the new cat.
Chloe huffed and went back to her seat, muttering at how utterly ridiculous Ladybug is for picking Lila. Blair couldn't blame her for that one. It would be ridiculous if Marinette actually chose Lila.
But that's not true at all. Marinette knows it. Alya knows it. Blair is standing right there with Plagg on her shoulder and the Miraculous around her finger. But none of them could say anything without blowing all their covers. Marinette can't just say she's Ladybug. Rena Furtive is supposed to be a secret.
Most of all, Adrien is not supposed to know anything.
As Adrien, there is nothing Blair could do.
This pisses Blair off. Lila's reaping praise from Blair's hard-earned skills! Why that lying little…
Miss Bustier entered the room and started calling attendance. Everyone returned to their seats.
Forget the liar for now. She's just one of those losers who leech off other people's reputations for five minutes of fame. She's nothing compared to the real thing. Ladybug knows the truth. That's all that matters.
The first period teacher entered the room. Now to focus on classes. Being two academic years ahead should give Blair an advantage. It's show time!
This should be a cinch!
0-0-0-0-0
This was not a cinch!
Blair slumped over her desk as soon as the Geography teacher left with her probably failed Geography quiz.
That was only first period. Surely the rest of the classes couldn't be that bad, right?
0-0-0-0-0
Hah! Fat chance!
The next two subjects were Literature (not one of Blair's stronger subjects) and Social Science (which Blair wouldn't be struggling with if only they weren't using outdated books by her time's standards). Mercifully, they were all just lectures, so all Blair had to do was nod, pretend to understand and pray the teacher doesn't call on her for recitation.
When's Math?! Blair is begging for Math. She's good with Math. Math doesn't change much no matter where you go and how much time passes. Oh. The math teacher took a leave today so the class gets self-study period instead. They'll get math same time tomorrow.
On her next bathroom break to feed Trixx, Blair asked Plagg how good Adrien is at Math.
"It's his worst subject."
Blair did a little fist pump. Finally! Something to look forward to!
"He's got an A-minus on average when it comes to Math."
"A-minus?! Math is my best subject and that's my highest grade," Blair paled.
"Gabriel expects nothing less from his perfect son," Plagg spat.
You know that story of Icarus? Yeah. Blair has never felt so hard for a character before. Is this what it feels like to fly to close to the sun? Blair is falling hard.
0-0-0-0-0
By the time self-study period rolled along, Blair was miserable. She flunked so hard, it's not even funny.
"Hey dude. Is something eating you?" asked Nino, brown eyes full of concern.
Quick Blair! Excuse your behavior.
"I think I failed my Geography test."
Which is true. She most definitely failed that one. Couldn't identify a single city besides the big ones like Paris. Her score most likely couldn't get to the double digits. She has never felt so dumb in her life. Blair can only hope this doesn't dent Adrien's overall grades and land him back to homeschool.
"Dude," Nino placed a comforting hand over Blair's shoulder in sympathy. "Is your old man gonna ground you for this? That's a new low, even for him."
Oh crud. He totally would, wouldn't he? That wouldn't even be a new low! Low by Gabriel standards would be somewhere below the earth's crust.
Sensing the fear of imminent doom radiating off his buddy, Nino took it upon himself to de-escalate his bestie's rising panic to the best of his abilities.
"I'm sure you did fine though. You're Adrien Agreste. You always ace every test no matter how little prep time teachers give us. You're the man!" Nino said with finger guns.
Thanks for the hype, man. But sadly, this isn't Adrien, the straight-A student. This is Blair, who's perfectly content to coast along with her B's and C's. It's only thanks to Shizuke's insistence to join school activities for extra credits that she doesn't have remedial classes this summer.
Of course, Blair couldn't blurt out any of that. Instead, she smiled like all is well with the world and thanked Nino. Bless this boy, for he is a bro.
But that doesn't make Blair any less screwed.
What should she do?
0-0-0-0-0
Notes:
TVA stands for Time Variance Authority from Loki series. For the uninitiated, they're basically time police.
Oh! And I made art for this fic. The current cover image is Adrien and Blair, since this story would mainly revolve around them.
