Ladybug found herself standing on a rooftop. She turned around and spotted something or someone in a black suit and cat ears, his back was facing her.
"Chat?" She called, taking a few steps towards him. A cat ear flicked and he turned around.
"M'lady." Chat said, flashing her a wide grin which showed his sharp…..fangs! "I am so glad you are ok."
Ladybug's eyes widened as Chat spread his arms covered in white and started walking towards her as if to hug her.
It was all wrong. His eyes. His suit. His smile. Everything. He was not Chat Noir. His suit was all white including his hair, his eyes, an icy blue. This was Chat Blanc!
With every step he took, buildings around them started collapsing, some going up in flames while some of them started turning into ash.
Ladybug started taking deep breaths, her blood pounding in her ears. It can't be! It was not possible.
"Chat Noir, wha-what happened to you?" Her voice cracked with fear as she noticed he was getting closer to her. She stepped back in horror with every step he took towards her.
"I am not Chat Noir. I am Chat Blanc. The better version of Chat Noir." He said with a maniacal smile showing off his fangs again.
She took several steps back, absolutely terrified of what she was seeing.
"Why are you running away from me?" His expression softened and became sad. "I don't wanna hurt you. I just want one small thing from you." He stopped at an arm's length and spread out one of his hands.
"M'lady, would you be so kind and hand over your miraculous." He said monotonously with a soft and innocent expression, his head tilted to one side.
"No! You don't need my miraculous. We can fix this. Let me help you, Chat Noir." Ladybug pleaded.
Chat Blanc's expression became cold again. He closed his open hand and held his middle finger with his thumb. A small white ball formed at his fingers.
"I think I wasn't clear before, Bugaboo." He spat out the nickname like he was spitting out blood from his mouth. Ladybug felt sick to her stomach as the nickname lacked the mischief and love that it usually had. It felt more like a term of disgust rather than a term of endearment.
He flicked the magic just a centimeter away from her toes. Ladybug gasped as she stepped back only to hit the wall behind her. She had nowhere to go. She watched with horror as he closed in on her, a satisfied evil smirk on his face. It was not one of his normal smirks, this one reeked of danger especially with the sharp fangs that peeked out of his mouth.
Just when she thought she couldn't be more scared of him, Chat grabbed her upper arm so tight his sharp claws dug into her skin.
Ladybug winced as he pulled her towards him.
Ladybug tried to wiggle out of his grip, thrashing her arms and legs everywhere. Anything just to get away from the malice that was dripping out of those cold blue eyes. The intent to destroy, to kill, oozing out of his body.
"Give. Me."
Ladybug gasped as two clawed fingers grazed her chin, stopping her movement completely.
"YOUR MIRACULOUS!" He roared as a small ball of energy formed at the tip of his fingers, his lips stretching into a snarl. Her breath hitched in her throat as tears welled in her eyes. How was it possible for her kitty to become so…so….cruel?
From the sharp, glinting fangs, to the ball of energy at her throat and the pure murderous intent oozing off of him, Ladybug was sure she had lost her kitty. Tears spilled down her cheek at the realization.
She heard a sniffle. It wasn't hers. She looked at Chat. His expression had softened, his face now full of worry and guilt. He released her arm but the ball of energy at her throat remained. Tears started trailing down Chat's cheeks.
"Save me." His voice was deep and cracked as if he had been crying for a long time. "Save me, Marinette."
It didn't really matter that he had just said her name. If her heart hadn't broken before, it definitely broke now. He never intended any of it, but didn't have a choice.
"Marinette, save me."
"Marinette! Marinette!"
Marinette opened her eyes with a loud gasp. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she took quick, deep breaths.
"Marinette, are you ok?" The concerned voice of her Kwami filled her ears.
Marinette slowly sat up, calming her breathing. It was a dream. But it felt so real.
"Chat." She whispered. "Where is Chat Noir?" She asked, looking around her. Was he ok? What if he was akumatized? Had she done or said something to him that could create negative emotions in him? No, everything was fine, he was fine when she had last seen him. But that didn't give enough assurance. She wanted to see him to be sure whatever she saw was just a dream.
"Chat?" Tikki wondered. Realizing that the reason for her concern was probably because of the nightmare, she said, "It was just a dream, Marinette. I am sure he is ok." Tikki touched Marinette's cheek to comfort her.
Her Kwami's comforting voice and assurances relaxed her but the nightmare still nagged her.
"It was so real Tikki." She mumbled when she calmed down. "This is the third time I am having a nightmare about Chat…." She grimaced, unable to complete the remainder of his name. "Chat Blanc." She managed to finish, looking at Tikki.
"That reality is over and doesn't exist anymore, Marinette. You fixed it. Relax." Tikki reminded her.
"Yes. I know. But what if the dreams are a sign or something. What if it happens again? What if Chat becomes even more dangerous? What if I can't take him on and he…he…" Marinette swallowed a sob as she remembered how ruthless he was being with her in her nightmare. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.
"Tikki, I must see him to be sure that he is okay." Marinette said and opened the latch over her bed to get out.
"Marinette, you don't even know who he is." Tikki reminded her as she flew towards her.
"Oh, right." She hadn't thought of that.
Sometimes she wished she knew who Chat Noir was. But it was for the best that their identities were kept secret, unless she wanted to end up facing Chat Bla-
Marinette shook her head and came up to her balcony. She needed to clear her thoughts. Tikki followed behind and rested on the railing. Marinette sighed. She just couldn't stop thinking about her nightmares.
Minutes passed and Tikki noticed that this was the quietest that she had seen her. Her concerned gaze was looking at the city, as if searching for Chat.
"He is ok." She started softly, still looking at the city. "Right Tikki?"
"Yes. Don't worry." Tikki reassured her. She could tell that her words were not enough as she continued staring off into the distance.
Marinette's face lit up as if she realized something.
"You know who Chat Noir is." She said finally looking at Tikki. "Could you…could you go and check if he is ok and sound asleep." She said, looking back to the city again.
Without a word, Tikki nodded and took off, determined to do anything to reassure her.
A part of Ladybug was sad that there was no akuma the next day. Nonetheless, she would be seeing him during the scheduled patrol that very same day.
Even though Tikki had assured her that Chat was alright, seeing him in front of her with her own two eyes would be relieving. So when they met up for their patrol that evening, Chat had just enough seconds for a smile and wave before she threw herself on him for a tight hug.
His hair was blond, not white.
Green eyes, not icy blue.
Black suit, not white.
Everything was ok. He was ok.
A bit surprised by her actions, Chat Noir froze for only a couple of seconds before hugging her back. A mischievous glint shone in his eyes as he smirked.
"I didn't know you loved hugs so much. If you had said sooner, I would be more than happy to scoop you in a loving embrace, M'lady." Chat Noir said teasingly into her ear. Ladybug rolled her eyes.
"You can't take a break, can you?" She retorted, but her words lacked the usual enthusiasm. She tightened her arms around him and made a silent wish that he never changed.
"That's because I never stop loving you, Bugaboo." He said with a serious tone like he meant it. Something about what he said struck her. That nickname wasn't said with murder at the tip of the tongue. It was said with love and care. Ladybug never thought she would ever be glad to hear that nickname from him.
"Hey, no angry pout for me this time?" Chat smirked playfully when she looked up at him.
This was Chat, her kitty. There was no way he was turning into a cold and cruel monster. Tears formed in her eyes and she tightened her arms around him. Hearing her sobs, Chat Noir panicked, fearing he had done something wrong.
"Are you ok?" He said as he moved his hands from her back to her shoulders. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no. It's just…" Ladybug trailed off, wiping away her tears. How could she explain this to him?
"It's just, you are you. You are…." Ladybug gestured her hands towards him with a sad smile. "All right."
Chat Noir just stared at her dumbly.
"What do you mean?" Chat said with bewilderment. "Of course I am. Are you feeling ok?" She was acting weird as if she had lost him and if he remembered correctly, he hadn't done anything reckless in the past few days.
Now that it was out already, there was no point in hiding it, so Ladybug decided to tell him about her nightmares. After all, who else would understand?
"I-I have been having…nightmares." She shifted her gaze towards the cityscape which was basking in the soft rays of the sunset. Rubbing her elbow with the other hand, she continued, "About…." She locked eyes with him. "About you."
Startled by her revelation, Chat Noir's eyes widened and he dropped his hands which had still been on her shoulders. Sure he had wished that Ladybug dreamt about him just like he did, but never did he think that he would be giving her nightmares.
"M'lady, what is it about me that scares you so much?" He asked softly, his green eyes full of concern.
"It not you. It's Hawk Moth." Her voice was breaking as flashes of her nightmares surfaced. "I am scared of you getting akumatized, of destroying everything and-and" hurting me. She sucked in a deep breath as she withheld her words. He definitely wouldn't want to know that. Tears welled up in her eyes and her body started shaking as images of Chat Blanc threatening her with his power flashed in her mind.
"And?" Even though he couldn't bear hearing those words coming from her mouth or seeing her broken like this, he wanted to know what was bothering her the most. Hesitantly, he slowly brought an arm around her shoulders.
Ladybug looked up sharply as she felt his claws ever so slightly grazing her arm. Sharp claws! Those claws would soon dig into her flesh and-
She jerked away from him, from those claws, with fear in her eyes. When she looked at him, he wasn't all white with blue eyes. He was normal with concern and hurt in his green eyes.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to." Chat said quickly. He watched with mortification as she took quick breaths, which was the result of him just touching her. How bad were her nightmares?
Chat came to one possible conclusion which he hated.
"Do I hurt you…in your nightmares?" Chat winced.
"Yes." She whispered as her breaths became normal. Chat didn't like her answer. It frustrated him that he couldn't comfort her when she needed it the most. So he opted to sit down on the roof and look away at the night scape instead.
"It's just a dream, M'lady. I will never get akumatized and even if I do, I would never, ever hurt you." He smiled looking up into her eyes. "Even if I become a fire breathing dragon, I could never hurt you." He chuckled, extending a hand towards her, hoping that she would take it and sit down next to him. "You should know that." He said softly. He didn't know what he would do if her nightmares never allowed her to be comfortable near him.
To his utter relief she took his hand and sat down next him with a smile. He began pulling his hand away when she tightened her hold. Seeing her reassuring smile, he decided to let his hand stay the way it was.
"I could never hurt you." He repeated looking into her eyes and gave her hand a squeeze to put as much reassurance into his word as possible.
Ladybug really wanted to believe those words. But she knew it wasn't true. She stared at the black ring in his hand, the ring that gave him his powers, powers of destruction.
Cataclysm. Destruction. All of it, aimed at her, without even a hint of concern. It had actually happened and not just in a dream. Her caring, concerned kitty had actually become cruel and cold.
Tears welled up in her eyes again and her breaths became shaky.
"But you did." She whispered in between deep breaths. "You threw catalysms at me like-like you wanted to hurt me, to kill me." She brought both her hands to cover her face. "How can I believe your words when I know they're not true?"
To say that Chat Noir was petrified was an understatement. He had a feeling she wasn't talking about her nightmare anymore. He had clearly done something but he didn't know what and when.
Hearing her hiccups really broke him and without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, hoping he wouldn't make it worse. When she didn't pull away, he began stroking her back and hushing her.
Chat looked up at the sky as tears formed in his own eyes. Whatever it was she had been through, it must have been horrible to make her break down like this.
As she calmed down, Chat hooked an arm under her knees and slowly pulled her onto his lap, supporting her with an arm behind her shoulders. He wiped her tears with his thumb as she took slow, deep breaths.
"Feeling better?" He asked, stroking her hair and tucking away the stray strands behind her ear.
Ladybug hummed against his chest. Listening to his heartbeat and comforting words, the horrible memories slowly dissipated. The only thoughts that remained were his warm body, moving up and down, his fingers smoothly gliding through her hair and the sound of his heartbeat.
"Ladybug, if you feel comfortable about it, can I know if-if at some point I had actually…." Chat took a deep breath while his fingers absently weaved though her hair. "Hurt you?"
Ladybug sighed. She might as well get this over with. As much she didn't want him to know about Chat Blanc, he deserved to know.
She turned around so that her back was pressed against his chest. She relaxed her head on his shoulder, staring up at the sky, not really wanting to see his reaction especially because he wouldn't like it that she had hidden this from him.
"I had done a mistake a while back which led to you discovering my identity." Ladybug narrated the whole story to him, trying her best not to break when she mentioned Chat Blanc.
Before she knew it, Chat's arms wrapped around her and stroked her arm.
When she had finished explaining everything to him including her nightmares, she turned to see his expression.
It was blank. He just stared blankly into the distance.
"Chat?"
He didn't move.
"Cha-"
"How could you hide something like this from me?" He interrupted, his voice at the edge of anger and concern.
"I-I didn't want to hurt you. It's best that you didn't know." Chat scoffed.
"Yeah, I am definitely not hurt seeing you completely break down because of Chat….Blanc? Which is actually me." He chuckled dryly as he tightened his arms around her, as if protecting her from anyone wanting to hurt her. He still wasn't looking at her though.
"But this Chat Blanc was right about one thing." He turned to look at her. "Someday, my love for you will definitely be the end of me." He whispered with a sad smile.
Something very, very deep down twisted in Ladybug's chest. He had declared his love for her before but this time it felt like he had accepted that she would never return his feelings.
She brought both her hands to his cheeks and rested her forehead against his. Though he flinched at the contact, he didn't pull away.
"That will never happen, my kitty. I will make sure of that." She said softly, gazing into his green eyes.
Chat leaned into her touch, his eyes half lidded as he stared into those blue eyes. How was it possible to not fall for her even more when she said things like that?
A purr interrupted their silence. Chat's dreamy expression quickly turned red with embarrassment.
Ladybug quickly withdrew her hands and put distance between them, though she was still on his lap.
"Did you just purr?" Ladybug asked, her voice a pitch higher.
"Ummm, nooo." He said as his eyes widened with shock. (He should definitely ask Plagg about this later.)
Ladybug burst into a fit of giggles. Chat relaxed, part of his embarrassment vanishing.
"You are a real cat! You want me to give you some pets and scratches, kitty?" She said in between her laughs.
"It's not my fault. You have no idea how badly I resisted kissing you." He mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Ladybug stiffened as her face became a tomato. "And yet you are still sitting on my lap, looking all cute." He muttered, not really sure how much he would be able to control himself.
"Hey, you are the one who pulled me into your lap!" She bursted poking a finger on his chest.
"You are the one who was crying her eyes out and didn't leave me any choices." He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.
Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him as she didn't have anything to retort. Chat narrowed his eyes back. The two stared at each before bursting out laughing.
As their laughter died down, Chat slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a cuddle. Ladybug adjusted so that she was comfortably relaxing with her back on his chest. Tugging his arms, she guided them around her stomach and placed her own hands on his.
Though he was a bit taken aback by her actions, Chat didn't mind cuddling with her. He would do anything for her.
Ladybug let out a relaxed sigh as she closed her eyes. Letting it all out, felt good, her chest felt lighter and she forgot all of her stresses. She could fall asleep right there.
"Thank you, Chat." She said looking at him.
"You know, you can come to me anytime, M'lady." He murmured against her ear with a warm smile.
Everything was fine. It was perfect.
Purrfect.
As the girl of his dreams was cuddled in his lap and not scared of him anymore.
Perfect.
As her partner and best friend was warm and caring and not cold and cruel.
