Ch6
Marinette sighed as she sank into her chair and rubbed her head. "Tikki what am I going to do?" she muttered as she rested her head in her hands.
"It's alright Alya is managing the cat miraculous well," Tikki said reassuringly.
She sighed. "Yeah but I don't want to put her in danger besides its not the same without the old one." She shook her head, deep down she was conflicted about Cat Noir. She wanted him back yet she didn't know how to find him, deep down she was getting used to Alya. It was so fresh to have a companion who didn't flirt with her constantly and was more serious. But that part of her heart was still conflicted with her relationship with the old Cat Noir. The one whom she fought with side by side.
As much as she would like to apologize she wondered if Master Fu would let her talk to him about him or the other miraculous holders. Master Fu already sees him as a disappointment, maybe there is something I can do to change his mind.
Shaking her head she looked at the new trailer for the new movie starring Ladybug and Cat Noir. "They even put Alya in it," she muttered looking at the promo poster which featured Ladybug and a female Cat Noir.
The reviews for the post were mostly negative accusing the movie of replacing the real Cat Noir. "You all are a bunch of sexists for wanting Cat Noir to be male?" She read shaking her head incredulously. It was a response from the creator Thomas Astruc the creator of the movie. She had met him not too long ago when he was akumatized when a fan said he liked Cat Noir more than Ladybug. He really needs a life. It seems like he only cares about gushing over Ladybug and blocking people on Twitter. Thomas Astruc also said things such as if you want Cat Noir to be a white male you are problematic and that he as a creator knows them the best.
Rubbing her temples she looked at the picture of Adrien on her desk. A pang hit her heart as she gingerly hugged it like a security blanket. I miss you so much Adrien please come back. Her heart ached for him; each day she would send him texts pouring out her heart and feelings to him. Just a response will be ok. Any sign of you will lighten up my world.
She sent him messages every day, at first it was just general regards but then she put more and more of her feelings into them hoping that he would see them and respond to her feelings.
Please respond. I miss you so much. It took all of her willpower to not go to London and find him herself. Tikki talked her out of it saying Hawkmoth is still a problem. If only you could open your eyes and see how we are meant to be together. Adrien I'll protect you from anyone.
She stood up. "Lets go see Master Fu."
"What for?" Tikki asked.
"I'm going to talk to him about Cat Noir," she said. "Tikki spots on!"
It was a warm Parisian night as she swung through the city of Paris over the crowds of people going about their business. Checking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed she headed over to where Master Fu lived.
She entered through the back door and found the master drinking tea. "Ah Ladybug to what do I owe this pleasure?" Master Fu asked with a smile.
"I need to talk to you," she said sitting across from him.
"About what?" Master Fu said as he handed her some tea.
She thanked him and took a sip. "I still miss him, the old Cat Noir."
Master Fu sighed as if he were dealing with some annoying child. "I fear for now we'll have to rely on Alya. She has been learning to do the ropes of using the miraculous well."
"Yeah but I don't want to put her in danger," she said avoiding his gaze. "Besides I really want to try and make up with him."
"Well for now we will have to rely on Alya," Master Fu said. "I have considered making her the permanent holder of the cat miraculous."
"NO!" screamed a familiar voice.
She turned around and saw Plagg fly out of the miraculous box with a scow. "I will not recognize her as my master. My old one was just as fine."
"Plagg we've discussed this many times," Master Fu sighed. "If things continue the way they do we need to consider making Alya your new master. You'll inspire many younger girls."
"I won't," Plagg spat glaring at Master Fu. "If only you both trusted him in the first place we wouldn't be in this situation."
The accusation hit hard, she knew he was right. If only we hadn't. She clenched her fist looking at Master Fu who looked like he couldn't care less. "Master Fu why did you keep yourself in the dark from him," she muttered. "He was my partner he should've known."
Master Fu sighed and shook his head. "He wasn't ready and his actions proved he is just a child deep down."
Oh yeah and I'm only a teenage girl. Her blood boiled as she resisted the urge to yell at Master Fu and call him out on his favoritism. He may have been nothing to you but he meant something to me.
"Anyway all we can do is carry on with our tasks at hand," Master Fu said calmly drinking tea. "If the old Cat Noir comes back I'll consider revealing myself to him and let him know my thoughts of his actions."
"Fine," she said doing her best to hide her anger. "I was going to go on patrol with Alya, I'll need Plagg for that."
"Be safe," Master Fu said as he got up and retrieved the cat miraculous. "Here you are. Send my regards to Alya. Like you she'll be a great role model to young girls everywhere"
"Of course," she said with a tense smile clenching her fist tightly. You sound just like that Thomas Astruc guy.
Taking the miraculous she left the house and swung her way towards Alya's house. "Nothing personal against her but I'm never recognizing her as my master," Plagg said as she landed on the balcony.
"I'm sorry," she said softly as she knocked on the door.
"We didn't appreciate him," Plagg said his ears drooping. "I was told not to talk reveal Master Fu to him." The kwami shook his head sadly. "Now he is gone."
"If I could I would get him back this instant," she said as Alya approached the window. "He may be selfish but he is still my partner."
"Hey Ladybug another Patrol?" Alya asked.
She looked at her friend and nodded. A bunch of emotions welled up inside of her, Alya was her friend and she wanted her to be safe. I wish I could tell you the truth of who I am. Being Ladybug is not easy, it is a burden I shoulder alone now.
"Y-Yeah," she said forcing a smile on her face as she handed her the cat miraculous. "Come on lets just patrol around town."
"Got it," Alya said as she put the miraculous on. "Plagg claws out!"
Alya looked great as Cat Noir, she really did. "Alright where to Ladybug?"
"Come on lets just do a quick run around the city," she said as she swung her yoyo.
Alya kept up with her leaping from building to building her movements as Cat Noir were much more fluid than when she started. She really is a natural but it still isn't the same without him. Shaking her head she continued to work with her friend as they patrolled the city. When they were done they both rested on a rooftop looking at the Eifel Tower in the distance.
"Hey Ladybug I know you don't like talking about him but do you still think about Cat Noir?" Alya asked.
She nodded. "Yeah I do. He was my partner and I should've treated him better."
Alya gave her a knowing look and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry if he does come back I know you both can make up."
"Thanks. It's just that I hurt him and now he is gone," she said cleaning her eyes. "Two of the most important people to me are gone."
She winced as the memory of Adrien came into her head. She still heard nothing from Adrien, even Chloe hadn't heard any news from him. Please Adrien you mean so much to me. It would mean the world to me if you just texted me something.
"Hey it's alright," Alya said softly patting her back. "You're doing great job, I know I'm not much but I'll do my best to help."
"Thank you," she said cleaning her eyes. "It's just everything has been crazy lately. I'm really glad we can fight together Alya I really am. It's just sometimes I wonder if I can keep going."
To her surprise Alya pulled up closer to her and hugged her tightly. She let herself sink into the hug and eventually returned it. "You're not alone, you have me and everyone else in Paris. You're everyone's hero don't forget that. Cat Noir will come to his senses I know it."
"Thank you," she said softly smiling at her friend. "I'm glad I have you as a partner."
Alya looked at her and nodded. "I'm here to help you no matter what don't forget that."
She nodded and cleaned her face. "I know. Thank you."
"Come on lets get some snacks before we call it a night," Alya said as she got up and pulled out her baton.
She nodded. "Yeah lets do that."
Felix thrusted his sword at his cousin. "You have to be assertive!" Adrien blocked his attack but was slowly being pressed back. "If you don't keep an eye out for your own interests you will just be a puppet. Is that what you wish to be?"
"N-No," his cousin said as he countered with a flurry of strikes. "I don't want to be used and left out."
That's the spirit. Despite everything Adrien was his cousin and deep down he did care for him. That's why I'm going to make sure he is stronger, no one will step over my cousin or my family and get away with it. Yeah he and Adrien had their differences but he would put his life on the line to make sure he was safe and happy. I know you would stand by me that is why I'll stand by you till my last breath.
He and Adrien continued to exchange blows. Occasionally his cousin would land a hit but mostly they either tied or he landed a hit. The two went at hit for another half hour before deciding to take a break.
"I want another chance," Adrien said firmly clenching his water bottle tightly.
"Another match?" He asked but he knew his cousin meant something else.
Adrien shook his head and looked him in the eyes. "I really enjoyed my time helping others. If I could do it again I would." Adrien's eyes shone with determination. "Yeah being Cat Noir I was able to be free and experience true freedom but I also enjoyed helping the city of Paris and right now Hawkmoth is still terrorizing the city."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
His cousin sighed. "Being him gave me untold freedom and I experienced things I never felt before. Knowing that I was defending my home city also made me feel important even if others did show it.
Figures he always did want to help others. It was noble of him but a part of him was suspicious others would take advantage of him. "How would you get it back? From the looks of it you have already been replaced."
His cousin flinched as he glared at the ground. "I know. But when I left the kwami he begged me to stay. What if and this hypothetically he wants me still?"
With a sigh, he sat across from his cousin on the bench. "That is a possibility. You would have to be careful, what if Ladybug doesn't want to be your companion?"
Adrien flinched his gaze becoming downcast again. "I don't know. I wish I could just forget about her." There was bitterness in his voice, whenever his cousin talked about her Adrien always darkened up.
He is family. His mother's voice rang in his head. Deep down he hated seeing his cousin hurt. I'll help him, I shouldn't just leave him to this fate.
"It's alright," he said as he got up and sat next to his cousin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here for you. We are family, if you need anything I'll be there for you."
Adrien looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Thanks Felix that means a lot."
He met his cousin's gaze. "I'll help you get your miraculous back, if it means that much to you I'll do all I can to get it back. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. I'll make sure no one hurts you or takes advantage of you again"
Adrien gave him a small smile. "I will."
We've always been close. Despite certain things happening I won't let you fall back into her father's grip and if that means being Cat Noir then so be it. A burning fire was spreading throughout his body, he would help his cousin and make sure he was a free and respected hero.
"But how can we do it?" Adrien asked.
A smile spread across his face. "Just think of it like a magic show. We just need to right stage to perform." Frankly this would probably be the riskiest challenge he had ever faced, but for Adrien it was worth it.
Adrien nodded a small smile spread across his face and that made a bit of him happy. "Sounds fun but what should we do?"
"You haven't done any photo shoots lately," he said as his mind began to brainstorm ideas. "Maybe we can use it and the publicity to reach out to your kwami and get him back."
To be honest despite his skills he doubted he knew he couldn't fight against a superhero and easily win. It won't be easy it would be the greatest battle I ever fought if I did have to go up against a miraculous holder.
"Sounds good," Adrien said taking a few sips from his water bottle. "To be honest I haven't spoken to anyone from Paris though my dad's assistant has been nagging me about photo shoots."
"We'll have to plan it well," he said. "The paparazzi have been trying to score a few photos of you but we've been keeping them quiet."
"Thanks. The last thing I need is unwanted attention," Adrien said scratching his head. "To be honest I always felt scared by them, the way some people would invade the privacy of others just for a photo."
"Well I've had experience with them here in the UK," he said. "Anyway we'll work on dealing with groupies like them later. Trust me you need to keep them in line."
"Yeah my dad always feared that I would get some crazy stalker," Adrien said with a laugh. "That's part of the reason he keeps a tight watch over me." His cousin's expression then turned sad. "Especially since she left."
"Don't worry we'll figure things out," he said patting him on the shoulder. "Your mom was a great person."
"Thanks," Adrien said softly. "She always liked it when you and your family came over." His cousin looked at him with his bright eyes that made his heart soften. "I'm really grateful for all of your help in cheering me up."
"N-No problem," he said smiling back at his cousin. "We are family. We should look out for each other."
Adrien nodded. "Is there anything I could do for you? You've done so much for me and I haven't done anything for you."
He looked at his cousin and shook his head. "Nothing at the moment. Come on lets go practice martial arts."
Adrien nodded. "Yeah lets do that."
The two spent the evening sparring doing various martial arts and other sports. Adrien seemed to be coming out of his shell more and more and by the time it was time to go to bed his cousin was smiling.
"Night Felix thanks for everything," Adrien said with a smile.
"No problem. Rest well we'll plan well figure out how to get your miraculous back one way or another," he said. Adrien nodded and smiled at him before going into his room.
He headed towards his room when he found his mother waiting for him by his door with a smile on her face. "You're doing a good job Felix."
He nodded. "Like you said he is family we should take care of him."
"I'm glad you are," his mom sighed and shook her head. "His father was always a cold man. I'm glad he takes after my sister, such a kind boy. I fear people will take advantage of him or worse he'll end up with the wrong person."
"He is very trusting," he said looking up at his mother. "Don't worry though I'll make sure to teach him how to guard himself against those that want to use him." Which is a reason he is in his current depression.
His mother smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "Continue to be close to him, he'll need a good friend like you around. Goodnight Felix."
"Night mom," he said as he walked into his room.
He is family. I should make sure no one uses him. He stared out his window and looked up at the moon a wave of relaxation washed over him. I'll help you get your miraculous back.
I really want to help you though Adrien. I really do. He'll make sure no one hurts his cousin again. Looking up at the moon he clenched his fists. I promise you'll be free Adrien and be able to live the life you want.
AN: Hope you all are enjoying the story. As for the Astruc cameo he is based on the character from the show :) But in my other story Astruc is worse lol
