Author's Note: Friendship! Fluff! Petty Adrien! All my favorite things, plus some cute romance. Hope you enjoy! The next chapter is going to take place during opening night, and you'll finally get to see the play in all its glory :D
As Ladybug and Chat Noir, Marinette and Adrien have both seen most of Paris over the past year, including places they never would have gone if not for their superhero alter egos.
Even so, neither has been in this part of the city that Nino has brought them to, where his "friend" who has access to this mysterious hologram technology lives.
It's taken them an hour and a half to get here, winding through streets and alleyways unfamiliar to even them. But they have to—they just finished dress rehearsal, and tomorrow is opening night, and they really need those holograms, or they're gonna have to come up with a last minute explanation as to why neither of Paris's favorite superheroes can make it to the special production being held in their honor.
"Nino, I'm not sure this is a good idea," says Alya, skeptical. "Does your friend even know that we're coming?"
"Of course! I texted Theo an hour ago."
"Theo? As in the sculptor who made the Ladybug and Chat Noir statues?" says Adrien, confused. "What does he know about holograms?"
Nino shrugs. "It's one of his day jobs, I guess. He told me he has access to a database that stores a bunch of them. Anyway, he told me that his company made one for the pop star XY once, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to find or make one for Ladybug and Chat Noir."
"I'll bet he already has one made for Ladybug," mutters Adrien under his breath.
Marinette smirks. "What was that, chaton? Is someone turning into a green-eyed monster?"
Adrien blushes bright red. "Of course not! I—I just don't need Copycat running around town and ruining my reputation again."
"I'm sure that's why you don't want to see him," says Marinette, grinning smugly.
Alya and Nino exchange questioning glances and shrug. Neither of them has any idea what their crazy best friends are talking about.
Alya turns to Marinette. "Um, girl? Mind explaining? You're kind of speaking Greek here."
Marinette laughs and shakes her head. "Let's just say that Adrien and Theo go way back. Or should I say, Chat Noir and Theo. "
"Okaay…." says Nino, nonplussed.
He leads them down a quiet street and stops in front of a dingy apartment building and pulls out his phone.
"This is it! This is where Theo lives. I'm gonna text him and tell him that we're here."
"Wow, I never would have guessed that Theo lives somewhere like here," says Marinette. "His studio is so much nicer than this place."
"Well, it's hard being a working artist," Alya says. "I've got a cousin who lives in an apartment even smaller than this."
Adrien stands silently and takes in the scene, when he realizes something.
"Wait!" he says. "Theo doesn't know that Marinette and I are Ladybug and Chat Noir. And there's no good way we're going to be able to explain why we need holograms without giving our secret away."
Marinette's eyes widen. "You're right! We should both transform before we go up."
She turns to Alya, who's making muffled squeals of delight. "You're never going to get over this, are you?" she says, laughing.
"I don't think you can ever fully appreciate how cool it is to find out that your best friend is Ladybug," responds Alya with a grin as Nino nods vigorously.
"Desolé, but we can't transform in front of you this time!" says Adrien. "It's too risky. Come on, Marinette."
He wraps an arm around Marinette's waist and quickly tugs her behind the building.
Alya purses her lips in disappointment. "Are you sure they're not just going back there to get in a really quick make-out session?"
Nino opens his mouth to say something, but Alya places a finger on his lips to stop him.
"That was a rhetorical question."
Ladybug and Chat Noir arrive around the corner just as Theo comes down the stairs. He smiles and waves at Nino before his gaze falls upon the two superheroes. His eyes light up as soon as he sees Ladybug.
"Bonsoir, Ladybug! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"
Ladybug winks at Chat Noir before walking up to Theo. "Salut, Theo! Long time no see. I was actually wondering if you could do me a little favor, as the best sculptor in Paris?"
Theo blushes and laughs nervously. "Yes, of course, anything—! What kind of sculpture do you need me to make?"
"It's not a sculpture," interjects Chat Noir, frowning. "We need holograms of Ladybug and me."
Theo turns to look at him, surprised. "Holograms of the two of you? But why?"
Ladybug smiles and places a hand on his shoulder as she leans in.
"Well you see, Theo, Chat Noir and I have been invited to a very special production at the Collège Françoise Dupont the day after tomorrow, but it coincides with another event we must attend as well. We don't want to disappoint anyone, so if you could make holograms of us so that we can be in two places at once, well—I would be very grateful!"
Alya watches with surprise, her eyebrows stretched toward the sky. She's never seen Marinette like this before. The girl's got game, and she has to say that she is quite impressed. Who knew Marinette had it in her?
Theo nods and looks at her with admiration. "Of course, Ladybug! That's so thoughtful of you."
"It was actually Nino's idea," Chat Noir quickly cuts in.
Theo turns to the DJ, who is staring at his friend, baffled by his unusually aggressive behavior (well, for him—compared to other people, he still sounds perfectly polite. But Nino knows better).
"That's great, Nino! You're a good friend. So I already have a Ladybug hologram—"
"Called it," says Chat Noir in a low voice as he narrows his eyes and glares at Ladybug, who sighs.
Theo continues to talk as he walks over to his computer, oblivious of the tension in the air.
"My company needed a hologram of her at a summit for world leaders. Another company was contracted to make the Chat Noir hologram, but they sent me the file and I might still have it lying around here somewhere—ah, yes, here it is! I'll need to contact them to get some of the tech to set it up, but I think we should be fine otherwise."
Alya steps in. "So, is there anything they need to do?"
Theo picks up two recording devices and hands them to Ladybug and Chat Noir.
"Well, I'm going to need the two of you to record some stock responses, in case people try talking to you and expect you to say something. It could be kind of awkward if they try and say something and your holograms are just standing there in silence."
"That makes sense," says Ladybug, nodding as she takes the device.
"So, how did you get into this business, anyway?" says Chat Noir. "Aren't you a sculptor?"
Theo laughs. "Well, I need to do something to pay the bills. And my girlfriend Vivienne got me this gig. She's a grad student at The Sorbonne."
"Oh!" says Chat Noir, immediately relaxing. "Well, that's just purrfect. Isn't that lovely, my lady? Theo's girlfriend got him this job."
Ladybug rolls her eyes. "Yes, very nice indeed."
They spend the next hour recording stock responses and random discussion topics, as many things as they can think of that members of an audience could possibly come up with, until they realize that it's starting to get late, and that they should all probably get home.
They say goodbye to Theo (Chat Noir more gleefully than the others), and walk out of the apartment building. As they get outside, Alya looks at the time on her phone in dismay.
"It's going to take such a long time to get home! I was supposed to babysit my younger sisters tonight, Maman is going to be really mad at me."
Nino frowns. "I'm sorry, Alya, I didn't know it would take this long! Would it help if I called and explain to her that we were doing something for the play? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time."
Ladybug and Chat Noir exchange smiles and Ladybug places a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"I think you're forgetting that you're both best friends with the two superheroes of Paris! We can get you home in no time. You just need to hold on tight!"
Alya squeals with delight. "Ahh! Really? That would be perfect!"
Ladybug nods. "Of course! I mean, we're already transformed, so it'll be much faster for all of us!"
Chat turns to Nino and taps his headphones. "Hey bud, you should probably put those into your bag, you don't want them to fall off."
Nino turns pale. "Ahhh dude, I'm really not sure about this, I'm actually really afraid of heights! Do either of you have teleportation powers, by any chance?"
"Nino, you know they don't," says Alya, shaking her head. "You can do this! Come on, how many chances will you ever get to experience something like this again?"
"Hopefully never," quips Nino, blanching as his knees start shaking.
Chat smiles gently and places his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Hey, I promise everything's gonna be fine. This is the fastest way both of you can get home. But if you're really uncomfortable, I can call the Gorilla and he can come pick us up."
"Won't that get you in trouble?"
"Yeah, it will, but I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do," says Chat, shrugging.
Nino shakes his head. "No way, man. I don't want to get you in trouble. I can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah man. If you're willing to take the fall just for me, I can get over my fear of heights for one night."
"That's the spirit, Nino!" cheers Alya, who's already hanging onto Ladybug and ready to go.
Nino climbs onto Chat's back and gulps before closing his eyes and holding on tight.
Ladybug and Chat Noir look at each other and nod before launching up into the night sky, and though Nino does his best not to be scared, he accidentally opens his eyes for a moment halfway through the journey and screams just a little bit. (The others pretend not to hear, just for his benefit)
Years from now, when Alya tells her grandkids about her adventures as Ladybug's best friend, she always comes back to this night. Though the children don't understand at the time why it's one of her most cherished memories, it's always something she looks back on with the utmost fondness.
Four crazy teenagers, flying over the skies of Paris, laughing and screaming and carefree, reveling in the moment.
After Chat Noir and Ladybug drop Alya and Nino home, it's past 9, and nearly time for their weekly night patrol. Tonight, they're patrolling Marinette's neighborhood, so they drop onto her balcony to take a short break before they get started.
Chat leans on the railing and takes in the Parisian nightscape.
"You've got a great view from here."
Ladybug smiles. "I know."
"Why don't we hang out here more often?"
"We can, if you want." She walks up behind him and wraps him in a hug from behind, pressing her cheek into his back.
Chat murmurs with contentment. "I like that idea."
He turns around and takes her hands in his. "Sometimes none of this feels real, you know? Being a superhero, saving Paris, all of it. I can't believe that any of this is happening. But at least it's happening with you."
Ladybug giggles. "That's a line from the play!"
"Alya got it right though. I mean it."
"And I mean this one: You're mine. And I'm yours."
She leans up and presses her lips against his, light as a butterfly.
"What do you say we practice that finale scene one last time, so we have it down for Opening Night tomorrow?"
Chat blushes and smiles in the darkness as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her closer.
"I think that's a great idea."