Bloom pinches the bridge of her nose when she sees Marinette on her balcony with Tikki - looks like neither of them remembered the ceremony unveiling the statue of them, then. Hopefully Cat Noir shows up, she can make a cover for Ladybug and he'll back it.
Thankfully, when she gets to the park as Dragon Fyre, Cat Noir's already there - she gets a blank mask on, the group's signal that they need to cover for one another, before Cat Noir winks at her and says "Hey, super-sis. Glad to see you made it." He's started calling her that after the birthday-fiasco with Nino, saying she's like the sister he never had…and she's not particularly inclined to stop him. Unfortunately. She's missed having a family, missed them every day, and having one now…she just can't seem to stop herself. It'll be her demise, she just knows it, and yet she's the fool that willingly embraces it even knowing that.
The sculptor, Theo Barbot, a budding talent with a massive crush on Ladybug if the ghost-thing above his head talking nonstop about Ladybug is any indication, asks "Is Ladybug almost here? I can't wait to meet her…"
Dragon Fyre immediately says "She's out on patrol, sorry." At their blank looks, she drily says "We drew lots, she got the short one this time."
Cat Noir winks at her, wordlessly saying he'll back her up, then says "But, my sister and I are here. We can totally handle this. Plus, I'm the one in charge anyway."
Dragon Fyre shakes her head, saying "Kitty, you are most definitely not the one in charge." They're equals, even if Ladybug is the 'leader' of the group since she makes most of the plans and is the one that can fix everything. It took some getting used to, for all three of them, needing to take the hits for Ladybug and her having to let them take those hits. She hates it when they get hurt for her, or when they sacrifice themselves so she can keep going, and both of them had to accept that Dragon Fyre will go off on an Akuma that's stupid enough to seriously hurt them.
Theo says "Its just, I wanted her to sign my photo of her. She's just amazing, so smart, courageous, she's incredible…"
Cat Noir gets a look of jealousy for a moment, making a pit of dread form in Dragon Fyre's stomach for a moment - as Cat Noir, he's perfectly free to not be the perfect, polite boy who never does anything that would reflect badly on his father and the brand. Meaning he's free to retaliate, make Theo Barbot as jealous as he currently feels. Luckily, he behaves through the entire ceremony, keeping his Cheshire grin up and waving to the crowd on cue and graciously thanking Theo for the statue in a speech filled to the brim with his 'family charm' as he calls it.
And then the crowd disperses once the ceremony is over, leaving the Mayor, Theo, and the two superheroes behind. And, unfortunately, leaving Cat Noir free to make Theo Barbot as jealous as he wants now that the public and press are gone.
Cat Noir walks over, and says "Amazing statues, Theo. One thing's slightly off though, I'm actually taller than Ladybug." He's just got a crush is all, just a fanboy crush, you've dealt with them how many times before becoming Cat Noir? Just keep your cool...
Theo sighs, and says "Ladybug didn't show up. I just wanted to express my adoration for her."
Cat Noir can feel his jealousy rearing its hissy not-so-little head deep in his chest as Theo Barbot goes on about how amazing his partner is, about how much they have in common deep down and how everything he has went into Ladybug's statue. And, just for a moment, all he can think of is showing this guy that he's Ladybug's match, not an artist that doesn't even really know her. He's the one that fights supervillains with her and Dragon Fyre, not Theo Barbot; he's the one that's cracked jokes and made puns with his Lady, not this sculptor that would go running if he ever saw an Akuma up close. Screw keeping his cool, he's got a sculptor to get rid of without Cataclysming him.
Cat Noir throws an arm around Theo's shoulder's almost companionably, saying "Hey, hate to burst your bubble, but Ladybug and I, we're a thing."
Theo leaves in a fury, barely even registering Dragon Fyre's voice saying "Let's not get two jumps ahead of ourselves, Cat. You've yet to get anywhere with Ladybug, after all."
Cat Noir pouts at Dragon Fyre, and whines "C'mon, sis…" Getting an idea, Cat Noir tries to make his cat-eyes dilate as he looks at his super-sister - he's seen Manon give Marinette the 'baby doll eyes' before and it worked on her!
Dragon Fyre rolls her eyes, and says "The big eyes might work on our partner, Cat Noir, but they don't work on me." That look would absolutely work on Ladybug, she'd melt into a puddle of 'aw!' and be eternally wrapped around his tail.
Cat Noir's shoulder's slump, and then his staff buzzes. "Shoot, gotta go, super-sis. See you tonight?"
Dragon Fyre nods, and says "Only if I don't see you first, Brother." She's already leaving as she says that, leaping away with her agility and strength that out-does even his own and Ladybug's, so she misses the beaming smile that breaks out over Cat Noir's face at the last word.
He's still got that smile all the way back to the school he was doing his fencing lesson at, she called him her brother! Dragon Fyre isn't really one for…well, from what he can tell, she isn't one for letting people close to her. So, for her to call him her brother…he counts it as a personal achievement. Now if he could figure out for sure just who his sister is with the mask off!
Of course, after he's back in his room, he sees a news report about a burglary at the Louvre…that Cat Noir performed. Uh…say what now?!
He's out the window as Cat Noir once more before the news report even finishes.
Twenty minutes later, he's locked inside the Louvre…with a lollipop stick he recognizes instantly. His staff buzzes, and he opens it to the communication device…and hears his sister's voice on the other end. His sister's worried voice, at that. "Cat Noir, what exactly is going on?! You're a lot of things, an outrageous flirt for Ladybug being one of them, but your no thief!"
Cat Noir semi-sarcastically says "Thanks for the vote of confidence, super-sis… Meet me at Theo Barbot's workshop, he's the one that framed me!"
"The sculptor?! Oh, Cat…" he way her voice trails off, a mix of resignation and disappointment, makes him feel absolutely terrible - far, far worse than whenever his father is disappointed in him these days. Maybe because the man is only ever around when he's disappointed in him.
"I'm heading out now, sis. Cataclysm!" He quickly destroys the bars keeping him in, escaping to the roof rather easily, and slides to hide for a moment behind a stone balcony that gives him some cover.
And then his staff buzzes again, and he opens it to see his Lady's worried expression. "Cat Noir, what's going on?"
Cat Noir smirks, and asks "You know I'm innocent, don't you Bugaboo?"
A flash of irritation crosses her face, and she says "Stop playing around and calling me Bugaboo, this is really serious!"
Cat Noir nods, and says "I'm gonna find the real culprit and save my tail-" He doesn't get any further, though, as a helicopter suddenly flies up right behind him. Okay, step one...ditch the police.
He heads down into a nearby subway tunnel, and comes out the other end as Adrien Agreste while the cops make their way past the ten-car pileup that happened in their pursuit of him.
Plagg tosses a piece of Camembert cheese into his mouth, saying "If you want my opinion…I'd say the culprit was Akumatized." He'd also say his kitten's little attempt to metaphorically bare his teeth at Theo Barbot is backfiring spectacularly.
Adrien says "Yeah, I figured that out. How did I not see that jealousy coming a mile away?" He holds up the lolipop stick, trying to remember where Barbot's workshop is - he's got to get there as fast as possible, the police might be looking for Cat Noir but Adrien Agreste's fans will mob him just as effectively.
Plagg deadpans "Yours, or his?"
"Ha-ha, very funny. C'mon, eat up while we head over."
Cat Noir groans to himself - first the museum, now this…he's really gotta learn to wait for backup, apparently. He told Ladybug it was between him and his Copycat…but now he's regretting it just a bit. And his sister didn't pick up, so he's no idea where she is.
Leaving him…flat on his back, with Copycat crouching over him and reaching for the hand with his Miraculous. Cat Noir tries to close his hand, to buy any time at all for either of his partners to arrive, but Copycat all but hisses and pries his hand open mercilessly. Just as he's getting close to the ring, though…Cat Noir sees a speck in the air. A speck that's getting closer by the moment.
Feeling relief course through him, the blonde boy says "Uh, so, you might want to get back. My sister has quite the temper on her, and she'll be less than pleased by this." And she is coming in fast.
Copycat smirks at him, and says "She won't know the difference. You may say she's your sister, but you don't take anything seriously whatsoever."
Oh, how very wrong he is. There's plenty of things he takes seriously, such as being Cat Noir. "She'll know, Copycat. That's the thing about my sister, she always knows - and if she doesn't know right away, she'll know very soon."
There's no time for anything else, though, because Dragon Fyre crashes straight through the glass ceiling like a small meteor, sword drawn and entire body on fire. And she leaves a small crater in the floor, to, from the sheer force of the impact.
Copycat shifts uncomfortably, even as he plasters a grin on his face and says "Sister, glad you could make it! I found his Akuma, its in his ring."
Cat Noir just gives her a wink, though, saying "Hey, super-sis, glad to see you made it."
Dragon Fyre doesn't even need to listen to the ghost-things above their heads to know who her brother is. Unfortunately for Copycat. Her face goes blank of everything as she walks over, and Cat's just grateful she knows its him…because, as he's just realized, there's something about his sister that makes one feel like cornered prey if she's heading towards you.
The way she walks, perhaps, or…well, the sword in her hand certainly adds to the effect. She is a Dragon, though, so it really isn't that surprising that he's feeling distinctly like an afternoon snack right now when she's literally blazing mad.
She stops in front of Copycat, and then…quick as lightning, she punches him in the face hard enough to knock him out even when Akumatized. And he hits the boxes on the other end of the warehouse hard, breaking the ones he hit and landing in a crumpled heap. Cat Noir winces, just knowing there had to be a bit of her own abilities in play with that, then sits up and says "Great timing, Super-sis. Thanks for the assist." And then he gets smacked upside the head, not enough to really hurt him but enough to make his sister's displeasure known. "Hey! What was that for?!"
Cat finds his face sharply turned towards his sister's, and sees a mix of anger and worry in her orange and blue gaze. "What was that for? Lets see, how about going in here without backup and getting yourself trapped in these chains and your staff stolen? Or maybe how you went into the museum that had just been robbed by a Cat lookalike and expected them to believe you right off the bat? Or maybe it was for letting your jealousy get the best of you at the unveiling ceremony, getting Theo Barbot jealous in retaliation, and getting him Akumatized into a copy of you who's been trying to get you taken out of the picture altogether!"
Oh. Cat Noir thinks he knows what that smack over the head was for…she's been worried sick about him this whole time. Cat sits up even as his sister starts tying up Copycat, and quietly says "Sorry I worried you, sis. I didn't mean to." Dragon Fyre doesn't say anything as she ties his lookalike up, using the fake staff and some rope to tie his hands and feet together to it so the fake can't get away even if he does wake up. And then she sticks the pole on top of two boxes, ensuring he's very much immobile for the moment. And then, when she kneels down next to him…she pulls him into a hug unexpectedly.
It takes Cat a moment to process that particular detail, that his usually no-nonsense sister - during a fight, anyway - is hugging him, but he puts a hand on her back after it goes through and buries his face in her ponytail. After a minute, she quietly says "Don't scare me like that again, Brother. I thought I was going to lose you to." She probably scared a few people tearing through the city to find him, but that tends to happen when you think your brother in everything but blood is about to be killed.
Cat pulls away from her at that, asking "To? Sis, what do you mean by that?"
Dragon Fyre sighs, even as she starts inspecting the cuffs around his wrist to find a keyhole, and quietly says "I've lost people before, Brother. Years ago. They were killed when I was ten."
Cat Noir feels his breath catch in his throat, he knows what that's like all too well. His mother disappeared a year and a half ago, and his father is basically gone all the time. Even though his father is alive...he's basically lost both his parents. "Oh, sis…who was it? A friend? Family member?"
Dragon Fyre nods, starting to try and melt the chain just to free his arms, and quietly says "My parents. My family." "That's why you get so angry when something happens to us."
Dragon Fyre nods, and whispers "The two of you and Longg are all I have…" The unspoken 'I can't lose you guys to' hangs in the air, and it makes him want to wrap his sister up in a hug once more.
Cat meets her gaze, expression completely serious, and murmurs "I'm sorry I let my jealousy get the best of me, sis. I just thought…he might win her over." It's a stupid thought, when said out loud, but it was all he could think of for a moment.
Dragon Fyre sighs, one hand running through his blond locks, and says "Oh, Brother…Ladybug doesn't belong to you, she doesn't belong to anyone. She doesn't have a boyfriend, isn't in a club, anything. Get to know her, get her to like you. Both sides of you. And do the same with her. Now let me see that other arm."
Cat nods, seeing her point, then feels the weight drop off his one arm. The cuff is still there, but the chain was melted off. He immediately puts that arm around his sister's shoulders, murmuring "You won't lose us, sis. Either one of us. We're a family now, your my sister…" "I can't lose you, I can't lose my new family…" Her reply was so quiet, he'd have missed it if it wasn't spoken directly in his ear - yet, somehow, Cat gets the feeling she wasn't speaking to him. She might not even know she spoke at all.
When Ladybug finally gets in the room, she sees one of the weirder sights she's seen before - Cat Noir with a chain on his arm, one cuffed hand free and Dragon Fyre working at the other cuff, and a copy of Cat Noir tied to a familiar-looking pole.
Cat Noir waves at her with a shaky-looking smile, and says "Hey, Bugaboo, good to see you. The Akuma's in his left suit pocket, it's a picture." And he's really hoping they're out of here before Ladybug undoubtedly talks with Barbot or his timer runs out. He really doesn't think he can take much more of the emotional rollercoaster he's been on the past few minutes.
Dragon Fyre calls over "Someone here accidentally used his Cataclysm on a piece of wood earlier thanks to Copycat, so I've gotta get him back home, Ladybug. He's one minute from changing back, and all." The cuff gets melted through, and Cat Noir quickly throws it to the ground and starts rubbing the spot - magical suit or no, that was hot!
The two pseudo-siblings help each other to their feet, and then Dragon Fyre puts a hand on Cat Noir's shoulder and they both…start to shimmer, like Ladybug's seen the air do over a fresh batch of Croissants just out of the oven. And then the two just vanish, almost…like a mirage. Figures Dragon Fyre would figure something out to hide herself when she needs to.
AN: Hey, everyone! Hope you like the chapter - honestly, Cat Noir really needs to work on his jealousy a little bit. I get getting to be himself in the mask since he's got to be the 'perfect son' out of it...but, c'mon, kitty, really?! He knows Hawk Moth preys on negative emotions, yet he went and got Barbot jealous as heck. And that never even got addressed in the show, dangit! Seriously, didn't she have a 'uh, come again?' moment after Barbot says he knows they're together? I know I would be!
PS. Marinette didn't have the voicemail problem in this version - no Bloom to call and get Adrien's number from, no way to leave the voice mail. Ergo...she was just daydreaming about Adrien throughout the whole ceremony - and, seriously, how she managed to forget about it when it was being held in what's basically her public backyard is beyond me.