Theo Barbot grinned, watching as the crowd gathered around the statue. His work, displayed to the world … It was amazing. Of course, it would mean nothing if the subjects of his latest masterpiece themselves didn't show. And why wouldn't they? After all, after everything that they've done, the heroes of Paris definitely deserved to have a statue in their honor…especially the ever strong and striking, not to mention lovely, Ladybug.
"Any minute now, my fellow Parisians." The nervous Mayor chuckled. Ever since the latest incident of power abuse got publicized, the man had him set this up as a publicity stunt. It worked of course, given the whole shabang and the cheering crowds. He felt a little dirty for helping the man out, but money was money; and the publicity for his statue would help his little business boom. "Come on … come on …"
"Hello citizens of Paris!" The familiar voice of the chain slinger went by, as a red blur landed next to them, the citizens roaring with excitement. "I thought about doing some 'engrish' but I feel most of them wouldn't get the joke."
"You never know. With the right Cattitude, anything's paws-able." A black blur flipped through the air as the car hero used that staff to hover to the going. "Whatsahup, my cool cats?! Everyone feline as pumped as we are right now?!"
The cheering audience was dead silent. "Sadly, I don't think your cattitude is infectious this evening." Spider-man shook his head as he patted Chat Noir's back. "One day your puns will find their audience, and you'll bring laughter to cat lovers everywhere."
"Umm … should we wait for Ladybug or get the show on the road?" The Mayor asked quietly. "I have a meeting to discuss infrastructure reinforcement at three."
"Sadly, we must press on. M'lady is quite busy making sure no more akumas are flying over people's heads." Damn it, that was a shame; but understandabl-wait; what did he mean by 'M'lady?
"Well then, Paris, I present to you our appreciation for Paris's heroes! Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Spider-Man!" With a flourish, the mayor dropped the curtain, showing off his designs to the world.
"Nice, figured it'd take at least two more years until a statue was made in my honor-" The web head looked it over with a squint in his glare. "You know, you could have evened out the statues a bit, right?" Spider-Man asked the mayor, noting how much shorter the Spider-Man and Chat Noir statues were. Admittedly, Theo would've done that regardless of if he was asked too…Ladybug was just too amazing for her presence to not be more prominent.
"Pull out your own property damage preventing superpower and we'll talk about it." The mayor muttered as he kept nearing the crowd. "And I still haven't forgotten about you knocking me out. You're lucky my daughter likes you so much." Well that sounded like a 'Theo shouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole' situation.
"You know I'm filming this live right?" Spider-Man asked as he swung around his chain.
"And I believe now it would only be proper for our dear heroes to sign free autographs for all their beloved fans." The Mayor scooted the two masked men toward the crowd of adoring people.
"You're lucky I'm a forgiving Spider!" The masked spider screamed as the crowd dragged him in. "Off the merchandise, off the merchandise!"
"Heh, don't be a sour puss Spidey! The crowd's just showing you love." Chat noir chuckled as his fans were notably shorter and fewer in number.
"The crowd's rubbing their hands on places children should not see!" The hero screamed as his hand was dragged down into the masses.
"Sometimes it pays to be the more silent partner of the group." Chat Noir smirked as he gave a little girl an autograph. "Now stay catastic. You can help us be better heroes by staying happy and safe."
"Thank you Mr Chat Noir." The girl smiled.
"Please, call me Chat." The boy grinned. "But not Chaton, that's reserved for M'Lady." Again, with the 'M'lady' comment …maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. The fan forums always exaggerated everything. There was no way Ladybug was in a relationship.
"Uh, excuse me, Chat Noir." He poked the hero's shoulder. "I know Ladybug is busy saving the day and all, but you wouldn't happen to know if she'll be available to swing by the statue at some point. I..uh…really wanted her autograph." He pulled out a newspaper with a photo of the heroine herself.
"Like I said, she's out there capting Akuma, sorry to disappoint Mr. Skulptor dude. Sure my bugaboo would have loved it." The cat smiled.
Those words… no… no way someone as amazing as Ladybug would settle for this..this stray cat! "A shame. I was looking forward to talking to her… and telling her how I truly feel."
"Truly feel?" Chat Noir raised an eyebrow.
"Yes; yes, every time she's out their saving the day, I can see the passion and beautiful dedication in her eyes, the same kind of dedication I feel everytime I'm sculpting." His face flushed red as he felt his heart beat twice as fast. "I wanted to show her my feelings for her in my art, my admiration for everything that she is."
"…Ah, how old are you?" Chat asked.
"Sixteen, why?" He asked
"Wait really? Cause the beard kind of makes you look older."
"No one takes me seriously unless I look the part." Theo answered. It was the price he paid for only being an armature with no credentials in the field.
"Well, that makes things significantly less creepy." Wait what? "Look dude, I get that you have these feelings, so many people do in Paris, but it's just not going to work."
"What?" Who was this guy to say who he could and couldn't love!?
"See me and Ladybug … we're like this." The cat crossed his fingers. "Intertwined, yin and yang … exclusive." The cat smirked. "We're both heroes, it's Just something that happens. Sure Spidey plays third wheel, but the moments we spend together one on one are unforgettable. Can't be shared with a civilian unfortunately."
No … it couldn't be … as Theo was about to ask for some hope, any hope, a chain shot out of the crowd, landing next to the alley cat. "CHAT! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! PULL!"
"What? I thought you loved the crowd? They're just expressing their felines to you." The alley cat laughed.
"FOR THE LOVE OF KWAMI PULL ME OUT OR I'LL STICK MY CHAIN WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE!"
"Alright alright, let me-" The chain went taunt as the cat was sent flying into the crowd. "OH MY GOD! SO MANY HANDS!"
"PROTECT YOUR MOUTH! THEY'RE FLEXIBLE WITH CONSENT!"
Theo walked away from the crowd… from the idiot in the cat suit. What the hell did Ladybug see in that bastard!? He was just some punk in a black leather! Anybody could do that! He just told lame jokes and barely got anything done! If Theo had that kind of power, he could do so much more, so much-his soul was opened.
"Copycat, I am Hawkmoth. You are scorned by Chat Noir, now I give you his powers, in return for his miraculous."
"What are miraculous?"
"… The magical jewels that grant Ladybug and Chat Noir their powers."
"But you already have that. You're literally giving me Chat Noir's powers. If your power is to give people any power, can't you just give yourself their powers?"
"I can't-! Look, do you want revenge on Chat Noir?"
"I'll take it!" He shouted. "And then, when I prove myself superior, I'll marry Ladybug!"
"... For the record, how old are you?"
"Why is everyone suddenly concerned about that?"
"Because I may be evil, but I'm not SO despicable as to set a predator on a teenager. Even villains have standards."
"I'm sixteen!" He didn't look that old because of the beard, did he?
"Alright, we're all good then." Purple fog covered his body as he felt himself transform. Black leather, mask, blonde ish hair.
"I'm the spitting image of chat noir…Purrfect." He let that sink in for a second. "Nope, I'm not going to do the cat puns."
"Oh thank goodness; I would've taken away your powers if I had to listen to that all day."
Tiki listened as Marinette copied notes from the board of her science class. "Vibranium has a small density compared to most metals." She muttered. "Thus, reducing its weight without ruining its effectiveness."
"I thought that was adamantium." Nino asked.
"No, adamantium has the biggest density out of any metal. Both metals are indestructible, but ones blocks out energy while the other absorbs it, which is how captain America's sheild is able to hit with so much force when he bounces it off walls." Peter said, having a frazzled look on his face and more messy hair than usual. "Adamantium on the other hand has a more durable resistance to it, which is how Wolverine could walk through a nuclear explosion. Not even a trace of melted metal remained."
"…Did you get hit by a truck earlier?" Alya asked. "Cause you look like you got run over."
"I pulled a Marinette and woke up late." From what Tikki saw on the news, it was more likely he and Chat Noir were busy trying to swim through the crowds of fans swarming them.
"Hey….just because it's true doesn't mean it's not hurtful." Marinette pouted.
"Don't worry, a lot of the class has something like that." Nino smiled. "Pulling a Chloe is being a terrible person, pulling a Kim means doing something beyond stupid, and pulling an Alya means running into danger without any concern for your own well being."
"I think you mean being determined to get something down no matter the odds." Alya sat up proudly with a smirk. "And pulling a Nino must be using surfer slang, right?"
"Guilty dudette." Well at least everyone had a good attitude about it. "What would pulling a Peter be? I feel like nerding out is more akin to pulling a Max."
"I'm gonna guess .." Marinette smirked. "Getting addicted to coffee filled all nighters."
"I thought it was shoving Chloe's bs down her throat." Peter snickered.
"That's being a decent person." Marinette corrected with a chuckle. "… Although I don't think anyone can top your Aunt May at that."
"Definitely not. I got the legend herself recoded on my phone." Alya chuckled. "Saving that for a rainy day."
"Never gonna live that down." Peter groaned. "… So Alya, you go to the statue unveiling?"
"Nope, got sidetracked with one of Marinette's schemes." The girl said, zipping her lip. "Girl's secret though." Basically, taking Adrien's phone and deleting the message. "On an unrelated topic, you won't happen to know where Adrien is, do you?"
"Photo shoot." Peter said with a groan. "Old man Agreste only lets his kid come to school if it doesn't involve his model life."
"Wow, and here I thought Nino being the Bubbler would be the height of Agreste hate." Alya noted.
"Let me put it this way. If I could put that man in a grave, I'd kiss Chloe."
"Ugh! Leave out of your nerd fantasies, American!" Chloe shouted from her desk.
"I do. That was me describing a nightmare." Tikki was starting to see just why it was so hard for her to see Peter and Spider-Man as the same person…they acted nothing alike on the Surface. Sure the snark was there, but the level of confidence was staggeringly different. And Peter was comfortable with new people and friends while Spider-Man put off an aloof wall around himself. "Surprised Ladybug wasn't at the unveiling though. You'd think she'd at least say thank you for it."
"Come on Peter, you know why she wouldn't." Marinette said.
"… I would?"
"The saying? 'With great power, there must also come great responsibility.' Ladybug should use her powers to save people and stop criminals, not be a show off and do publicity stunts." It was nice that Marinette took her job seriously and wanted to be professional, but she could come off as a little…prickly as a result.
"Come on, Ladybug deserves a lot of the attention you can't deny." Alya spoke up. "If it wasn't for Her, Paris would be a trash heap by now."
"Doesn't Hawkmoth only attack because Ladybug's here?" Max asked.
"No, he attacked even before we knew there was a Ladybug." Alya stated firmly. "And even if it was the other way around, Hawkmoth's still a shadowy creep attacking Paris for no good reason. I'm going to stand by heroes no matter what."
"Same. For the Ladybug, Chat, Spidey bro combo." Nino grinned.
"I'm down for that." Peter pounded the guy's hand.
Riiiing
The heel ring as the class left the room. "You have pretty supportive friends, Marinette." Tikki spoke from her bag. "They believe in you as both Ladybug and Marinette."
"They do, don't they?" Her holder smiled as they walked to her locker, the girl reaching in and handing Tikki a delicious cookie. "Surprised people want to give Ladybug so much support though."
"Why is that a surprise? You work hard to fight against the villains that keep popping up. Good deeds are always noticed by those with good hearts." Tikki reassured. "That statue unveiling is a thank you from all of paris."
"Maybe…but I can't focus on being thanked. If I do, I'll get distracted by what's really important." Marinette said.
"Like trying to take Adrien's phone from his locker?" Tikki glared.
"You heard that message, it was beyond awkward." The girl pouted. "My life as Ladybug can't work if my life as Marientte becomes a disaster."
"Someone took a long time to make a statue in the first place, it would've been nice to show up, even if it was just to say thanks." Tiki noted.
"Heroism is a responsibility. I'm not gonna be a glory hound like Spider-Man, it's a slippery slope from accepting a compliment to expecting one." She said. "I'm gonna be the humble, professional Ladybug, who gets the job done and says it how it is."
Well; that was at least better than using her powers for personal gain… minus that one time with Adrien's birthday, but hopefully that would stay a one time thing. "I understand. Just don't let the job make you jaded. I've seen one too many Ladybugs fall down a lonely path."
"Hey, as long as I have my friends as Marinette, and Chat Noir as Ladybug, it's all fine." The girl smiled.
"Hey check it out!" Nino shouted. "Chat Noir's robbing a bank!"
"… I'm gonna skin that cat." She muttered.
"You and I both know that can't be Chat Noir, right?" Tikki asked.
"Exactly, who did you think I was referring to about skinning? Nobody's gonna frame that naive innocent soul on my watch."
"This just in." Marinette turned to Alya fun where Nadja Chadwhick was on the news. "Recently promoted Chief of Police Roger Raincomllex has issued a city wide manhunt to capture Chat Noir.
"Good job Sabrina." Chloe grinned. "Your dad is finally stepping up to catch this fake
"All forces, lay a three mile perimeter around the last known location of Chat Noir." Roger stated into his walkie. "We're dealing with a super, any wider and we won't have the manpower to contain them. No group will have less than twenty men on it, so you understand?"
"Yes sir!" Some may call him a bit heartless for immediately issuing such a massive force against one of the heroes, considering it was thanks to them that he got his job back; even a promotion to boot. But that was all the more reason to take it seriously. He wouldn't lose this job by any cost. And he would prove to the mayor, to Paris, and most importantly, to himself that he's earned this position. And to a lesser extent, prove that the police were still competent at their job.
"Officer LaCroix, see how many layers we can add to our cages. Chat Noir has the power of destruction, just one set of bars won't be enough."
"Do we bring in the snipers? The swat team overheard that they're bulletproof, but not invulnerable to impact."
"As long as it's high velocity impact and not the piercing rounds, we should be good to go." Roger nodded. "How's the scene of the crime looking?" All criminals came back to it at one point or another.
"Currently empty at the moment-we have a visual!" One of his men shouted. "Black leather sighted leaping across the roofs!"
"All units surround the area! Keep track and do not lose him! I want this guy locked down here and now!" He screamed into the walkie talkie.
A few minutes later the sound of rapid fire gunshots were heard all over as one of their copters was seen firing at the masked cat burglar. "Whoa; hey! Wait a meowment! I thought we were cool after Roger Cop!"
"That was before you broke the law!" He shouted into a megaphone. "Moving above the people doesn't make you above it you know."
"My paws are clean! I'm telling you, I washed them this morning!" Chat noir shouted in panic as he used his staff to make a shield for himself to deflect the fire.
"Oh, and I suppose some other punk with the exact same body shape and voice as you put on a cat suit, green contacts, a blonde wig, and could take out five armed guards while disappearing from everyone in the blink of an eye?" Roger asked as more officers arrived, aiming and firing tear gas canisters at the 'hero'.
"Uh, kind of? Heroes being copied by villains happens all the time!" The masked cat shouted as he began running off. "Mr. Fantastic with Doctor Doom, Mystique with most of the x-men, Iron Man with Iron Monger..."
"After a few years, kid, not months!" He retorted as the chopper chased. "Get the cages on the double, we need to lock him down."
"Come on! I swear I don't have rabies, you don't need to put this cat in the kennel!"
"Should we get the hounds on his trail while we're at it?" … Roger turned to his fellow officer. "What? I found it in good taste."
"Limit the jokes. We're professionals, not mask-wearing clowns." He stated, going back to his walkie. "Status? Does it look like he's wearing down?"
"We got him back led in a corner. He has no where to run-wait, he has his cataclysm out…he's turning the ground into dust-!"
CRASH
"The ground … get men into the sewers, double!" He realized.
"We can't, he closed off the entrances, by the time we would get down there he'd vanish."
"Damn it." The cat was smarter than he looked. "Go back to a perimeter around the area, keep your eyes open." They'd catch this crook. Roger would make sure the promotion wasn't in vain … and that he'd make up for nearly taking over the city of course.
Ayla couldn't believe it. Chat Noir, a thief … it made no sense whatsoever! It had to be an imposter, a fake … but there was no proof! It's not like gloves left fingerprints after all. Plus that quantum masking thing would make it impossible anyways without knowing the real chat noir's identity, which was a rabbit hole that Alya swore off…for the moment at least.
So there was only one thing left to do … "Hello Ladyblogers. This is Alya Cersie, once again running into the thick of it to prove that this criminal cat is nothing more than an imposter." She told her audience as she ran through the streets. Yeah she was told multiple times to not rush in, but she couldn't just sit back and watch Paris lose faith in its heroes.
"Yeah, I know what most of you are thinking. 'He has the same costume, same eyes, same height and build, and same powers'. Some of you probably think that it makes sense, since Chat Noir doesn't get as much attention as the other two. But trust me when I say they are not the same person, and I'm gonna prove it." She said. "Right now I've been trailing any abandoned warehouses around the bank, trying to see if I can find this imposter. No luck so far, but I'm getting close."
Luckily the practice she got sneaking away from her friends to do stuff like this gave her minor experience in handling things more stealthily, or else she would've been caught by the police filling the streets on the hunt for said imposter/hero. "Any second now, we'll catch this imposter in the act, and show the world that Chat Noir has a … what's the word?"
"Copycat?"
"Yeah, thanks." Alya smiled to Chat Noir … wait.
Her arm was grabbed. "You know, with all the praise that goes onto Spider-Man and Ladybug, and everyone constantly shoving me aside … I'm feeline a tad overshadowed, wouldn't you say?" The voice did sound the same, as did the appearance. The only thing off was that lollipop stick in his mouth.
"Oh, is that what you want all the police to hear as you frame the real chat noir?" She stood her ground, not buying it for a second this could be the real one.
"Real? Honey, you're looking at the real deal." He threw her into the wall. "I've got my catwalk, my cat charm." The imposter pulled out a staff, which extended so fast it created a hole in the wall next to her skull. "The cat claws."
"But do you have the cats meow?" Another familiar voice came up.
"Of course I do-"
POW
The faker was sent back into a wall by a punch to the face as Spider-man swung in. "Yet you don't land on your feet. Man, you just can't get away from fake news nowadays."
"Aww come on Spidey." The cat instantly got up, looking like he shook it off without much of an issue. "Is it really that hard to believe I wanna little retaliation after you dragged me into the screaming mob of fangirls?"
"Admittedly, the mob would be more than enough for anyone to have their own super villain origin story, but if you're really Chat Noir, then tell me…who's underneath my mask?" Spidey snickered.
"Uhh, Spider-Man." Alya blinked. "You're live."
"I am too." The hero smirked. "I normally don't film akumas in front of a live studio audience, they're people to, but sometimes you need to have the proof shoved in your face if you wanna get rid of the fake. So come on … whatever your name is, who am I?"
"Uh…"
"Come on bro, if that's who you really are." He swung his arm around the imposter. "You, me, two bros working the grind whenever Ladybug takes charge. We tell each other everything. We swore, bros before heroes, didn't we?"
"... Of course we did … Olivier …" The fake sweated.
"... A french name for a guy who originated in America?" Alya questioned with a narrowed glare.
"... Ah who am I kidding?" They elbowed Spidey in the stomach, flipping him over onto the ground. "The name's Copycat. But once I have your miraculous, I may as well be an actual hero." He reached for Spidey's hand.
"Wow, you really don't know anything about the real Chat Noir." Spidey smirked. "He knows to never get his face so close to my hands. Adhesion!"
The Copycat's head was sent into Spidey's hand as the real hero stood back up and slammed the imposter into the ground. "Ow, you little …"
"People, the idea of Chat Noir being a super villain after all the hard work he's put in to save Paris is laughable." Spidey snickered, walking along the walls. "You don't just wake up one day and say 'hey, imma gonna be a super villain'. Besides, this Copycat doesn't even have his sense of humor."
"Aww, careful Spidey. This cat may not have your tongue, but he's purrfectly capable of taking away an arm or two-oh my god how does he do that and not go insane?" The villain groaned.
"Maybe that says more about you than him, Copycat." Spidey smirked, reaching for the ring. "Now let's hope the first choice is the obvious one."
"I wouldn't count on it." The villain laughed as Spidey took off the ring. "Cataclysm!" He broke apart the ground.
"... Why does Hawkmoth need the Cat Miraculous again?" Spidey asked as he grabbed ahold of her, swinging Alya to safety.
"Not a clue." The villain chuckled as he leapt into the hole "All I know is it's mine. Now to leave you with a parting gift so you can't follow me. Cataclysm!" He used that power on the wall of the building they were standing on, crumbling it away.
"Nice try, I can always follow a fake that tacky!" He shouted, swinging over to another building. "Well that only proves it's a fake. Chat noir can only use his power once but this guy used it twice in a row. Good job Alya, but next time don't get so close to the edge."
"You mean like you did with the identity reveal?"
"Oh, that was a bluff. None of us know who the other is." Spidey smirked. "Ladybug would skin us alive if we tried to break her rules." A red yoyo landed next to them, as Ladybug herself appeared. "Speak of the devil, what brings you around?"
"I was circling the city and closing a twenty mile radius when I saw the building collapse." She answered. "Was that our Chat or the Copycat?"
"Weirdly enough, that IS his villain name."
"…Really?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow.
"He may or may not have copied Chat's sense of humor, even if he doesn't appreciate it like ours." Spidey nodded. "And it's not a perfect copy. He has his powers but not the time limit or one limit use."
"I don't think so actually." Alya pointed to the building. "Look, Chat Noir would have reduced the entire thing to ashes. Copycat just cracked it to pieces."
"Still, it would be pretty nasty to have direct contact, but it's good to know." Ladybug nodded. "We'll contact the real Chat Noir and regroup. Alya, get somewhere safe. The copycat's seen you, and he might be the petty vengeful type."
"As long as I proved he's a fake, I'm out." She raised her hands. "Give him one for me Ladybug."
"You kidding? He framed my favorite partner. I'm skinning this cat like I failed to do with Spidey." She grinned, swinging away.
"Aw, I knew you cared about me." Spidey chuckled as he sent his chain out. Guess Chat Noir had some supportive partners.
Adrien was at a bit of an impasse. The fangirls wanted him as himself, and the cops wanted him as Chat Noir. Neither side was rocking the discrete section to let him move around. Although admittedly the cops wanted him in a cage and rotting in prison, which was only slightly worse than getting mauled by his fans. At least in that second option he was free to run away.
So with an oversized trench coat and fedora, Adrien moved around the city as he tried to locate this imposter. This fake Chat Noir, this daring bad guy, this … Copycat. After running through what they all guessed around the time of the Pharaoh, it would have to be someone angry at Chat Noir himself, and recently the only one he could have made angry was that sculptor.
So after a quick call to Chloe to ask her dad where he found the guy, Adrien made his way to the teen's workshop, slowly approaching the back alley as he looked around, no one in sight. "Plagg, Claws Out." With a quick change, he went in through the window, quietly keeping to the shadows as he took in the room.
For a teenage amatuer artist, this guy had a pretty impressive studio. Big and spacey enough to work around in. Even if he made a lot of commissions, it would still be pretty difficult to maintain a place like this with self funding. Must have been lent … either that or he really was rocking the 'I'm Thirty' look. Looks like he wasn't here though … "Time for the true cat to lay out a mouse." He snickered. He would wait in the shadows and grab his akuma, where he would hopefully keep it out of harm's way long enough for Ladybug to come and de-evilize the object.
With a slam of the door, in came his double, spitting out a lollipop onto the ground. "Gonna get rid of that. If I'm Copycat, I need to be exact." It felt so weird hearing his own voice-...
"Wait, is your name really Copycat?" Chat asked, going in for a leg sweep.
"What the-How'd you find me!?" The fake shouted, jumping back to his feet and sent a roundhouse kick.
"Well, whoever hawkmoth akumatized had to be mad at me specifically, and the only one I could think of was the sculptor who I explained couldn't have a relationship with M'lady." Chat Noir smirked, taking out his staff and swinging it at the copycat.
"Enough with the 'M'lday' crap! She's not your lady, she's mine!" He jumped forward and swung at his head. "Or at least she will be once I take your miraculous, leaving me the only Chat Noir!"
"The Chat Noir who's name you sullied and ruined by robbing banks and painted out to be a bad guy?" He questioned.
"Hey, I do the crimes, you do the times. Fifty fifty partners, it even rhymes!" They swung at him again as they clashed staff against staff. "The puns though, the puns are gonna be the end of me."
"Hey, pun's are a necessity if you're going to even attempt to fill in my shows." Chat jumped over the imposter and swung at his back. "It's the only way to stay PAW-sitive with Hawkmoth's dark wings casting such a big shadow." They stared down at each other …
Crash
Until the window broke open, as Spidey and Ladybug both jumped in. "So a Copycat and a Chat walk into an artist's room … do they paint a white canvas? Or is that more of a blank one?" Spidey quipped.
"Glad you're here guys. I don't know how much longer I could paw-sibly stand this well dressed faker's lack of humor." Copycat stated.
"Oh please, don't start pretending you love the puns now. I need plenty of a-PAW-ogies before I even give you a whiskers worth of trust." He shot back.
"Shoot, they're both funny." Spidey commented.
"Subjectively you mean." Ladybug rolled her eyes.
Chat had an idea. "Well we're lucky we're not dealing with a Spidey clone bugaboo, you would have beat them both senseless."
"True….. which also means you're the real one." His lady smiled at him brightly, before glaring at the imposter. "The charade is over, Copycat. You're not going to pull one over anyone one ever again!"
"How'd you figure out where I lived!?" The imposter shouted.
"Easy. You mentioned the park incident earlier, so it could only be someone from there." Spidey smirked. "Then I remembered you had a lollipop in your mouth, and only the sculpture at the park had one. From there it was as simple as calling in the Mayor's daughter for a favor." He saw his lady bristle at that. "The only thing I couldn't quite figure out was the motive." Spidey admitted.
"Chat Noir's just a jokester and sidekick, he doesn't deserve Ladybug's love!"
"Wait, love!?" Ladybug asked in confusion. "Who told you I was in love with-..." The two heroes turned to Chat.
"I may have… left somethings left open to interpretation." He shrugged sheepishly.
"... You're lucky you're the only good thing about this job, Chaton." Awww, that made him both feel guilty and warm and fuzzy on the inside.
"Whatever, if I can't have your love, then nobody can! Cataclysm!" Copycat shouted, sending his power into the ground and causing a minor quake, ripping and tearing it apart.
"Not as potent as yours, but he doesn't need the recharge and it's still a kill if he touches us." Spidey said as he jumped on the ceiling. "Ladybug, a bit of creation for all this destruction?"
"Lucky Charm!" She sent it up in the air….and got a bottle of spray paint.
"Not sure he'll a-paw-criate the gift, considering he's tearing down his own studio!" Chat noted.
"Oh shut it with the lame and obvious puns! Can't you think about anything but cats you knock off!?" Copycat shouted, running at him with a cataclysm charged hand.
"That's the cat calling the kettle black, just FYI!" Spidey stuck out his hand.
"Wait, if you can, aim for his staff, I got a plan!" His Lady shouted.
"Well, time to hope accuracy hasn't failed me." Spidey muttered. "Adhesion!" The staff gained a web-like pattern, flying into Spidey's hand … and hitting his head. "So I trade giving other people concussions to giving myself one…. well no one said the universe wasn't balanced."
"Oh please, like I need that when I still have my Cataclysm!" Copycat shouted again as Chat narrowly dodged it, making the copy with one of the structural beams and causing the ceiling to fall on them piece by piece.
"Chat Noir, Spidey, spin the staves as hard as you can and aim them at Copycat!" Ladybug ordered.
They both began doing so, being around the same speed, although Spidey seemed to be struggling to match his hand movements, he actually seemed to be putting more force into the spins. "Oh, like a light breeze is going to affect me!" The imposter shouted.
"A light breeze, no, a light current full of spray paint, yes." Ladybug nodded as she tossed it right into the spinning staffs, breaking it in half and making all the aerosol paint fly into Copycat's directions, covering him top to bottom with red paint.
"MY EYES!" He screamed. "AH! MY MOUTH! IT'S EVERYWHERE!"
"Another masterpiece, M'lady. 10/10." Chat smirked as he reached for that lollipop, crushing it in his hands, and the little butterfly flew out.
"Just be sure to avoid the lies, or you'll be on the other end of the can." She grinned. "No more evildoing for you akuma, time to De-Evilize!" She captured the creature, sending the purified akuma free. "Bye bye little butterfly … Miraculous Ladybug!" With a flash, the world was fixed, the damage undone and the Copycat turned back into the sculptor from this morning.
"Pound it." He and Ladybug did their usual routine.
"Wait, so let me get this clear…. you're NOT dating Chat Noir?" Wow, that was sad… wait, was that how Ladybug saw him when he flirted? No… he was better than that… right?
"Ugggggh, look, I…" Ladybug paused. "Okay, first of all… how old are you?" She squinted.
"I'm sixteen!" The sculptor shouted. "I grow a beard so I can be taken seriously, but I don't look that old!"
"He's not in his thirties?" Spidey asked with genuine surprise.
"Surprise for me too." Chat nodded.
"Look, whatever the case…. I'm sorry for not being at the unveiling. You clearly put a lot of passion into your work, and I should've been there to at least say thanks." Ladybug sighed.
"Oh thank you-"
"But I am NOT dating anyone, and I'm not TRYING to date anyone, I want to make that absolutely clear right now for everyone!" She shouted, pointing to all of them.
"So you need to get settled into the gig before I start shipping you?" Spidey asked, clearly unphased by the threat.
"I made a threat to skin someone today, don't think I won't follow through." She glared, before turning back to the sculpture. "I'm sure you're a pleasant guy, but that's just not something I'm looking for right now. I hope you understand."
"I do … I hope you appreciated my work."
Bugaboo smiled at the guy. "It took a lot of talent to make, I'm sure you're gonna make great things in the future." Now there was the charming smile Chat Noir knew, the smile he was blessed with seeing almost everyday.
"M'lady, Spidey, thank you guys for having my back." Chat said with a wide grin.
"No prob, Chat. Like we'd ever believe someone as purehearted as you would ever go super villain." Spidey waved off.
"You're way too honest and good at this." Ladybug added.
"If anyone's gonna be a villain it's him/her." His two closest friends in his hero life pointed to each other, and glared. "What!? Why would Ibecome a villain!?"
"You're a gloryhound that does this for money! I'm half surprised everyday that I don't see an alert for you robbing a bank!"
"You're such a stuck up self righteous know it all that I'm surprised doesn't enact her own martial law on the city to enforce all her stuck up rules!"
"Wow….they really don't like each other." The sculptor muted.
"Yeah, it's a work in progress." One that they would get through….eventually. "Guys." Chat Noir tried to break it up. "Timer?"
Beep beep beep
"...This isn't over." They both said at the same time before Ladybug swung out of the building.
"But on a more serious note." Spidey turned to him. "You should think about hiring a publicist. They could've smoothed over the whole 'police chasing you' business."
"Meh, I'd rather not." Chat smiled. "I've seen how celebrities live. I'd prefer common and struggling to rich and boring any day of the week. You know, just like everyone else in Paris."
"Eh, to each's own." Spidey shrugged. "Stay Cool Chat. Until next time, I'll see you in the funny pages!"
"Not if I see you first!" Adrian was really blessed. He had the best friends both at school and as Chat Noir.
"So, you once again went out and tried to get an Akuma on film?" Peter asked Alya as they walked into class the next day. At this rate he was gonna have to get a tracker for her. Or a bell. Or a camera on her at all times… wait, that last one could be taken out of context.
"You say how all out they were getting on Chat Noir. They brought in sniper rifles and Helicopters! Someone had to step in to show they haven't given up hope on their heroes." Alya stated firmly. "And I didn't get a single scratch on me, so win-win."
"I think that was only because Spider-man was there to pull you out of danger." Marinette said with a slight roll of the eyes. "You can't expect to get that lucky every single time Alya."
"Statistics say I can." The girl grinned. "Also, Miraculous Insurance."
"Can Paris please stop debating the ethics on being brought back from the dead?" Peter asked.
"I thought New York stopped caring about it considering how many people die and come back to life all the time?" Alya asked.
"That applies to heroes-only. Regular civilians don't experience that." Peter corrected her. "Like it's expected for Jean Grey to keep coming back to life as the phoenix every few years, but the deli owner across the street? The mailman that always remembers an address…they don't. Death is it for those guys."
"What about when Thanos got rid of half the universe, and then it was brought back?" She asked.
"That lasted only a week, and it was more like half the universe time traveled to the future." He countered. "And would you REALLY want someone to constantly break the universe with magic space gems every time a tragedy happens?"
"Yes! That's one of my life dreams you know!" Just fixing every problem instantly instead of letting it happen and people die. Like, he didn't like death as much as the next guy, Uncle Ben's still hurt him….but it was just his time. It was just something that happened
"Some things happen … it's nature." He sighed.
"Let's get off less depressing topics." Adrien came in with his sunshine smile that lit up the room like always. "Like how Chat Noir's no longer considered a criminal."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Alya quickly pulled out her phone. "That little act Spidey pulled that I caught on camera is making the Ladyblog Trend! I put up a poll, and Chat Noir supporters are now up by twenty percent! It's now a more equal ratio of popularity. Thirty percent for him. Thirty two percent for Spidey, and thirty-eight percent for Ladybug."
Good for him. While he might question Ladybug getting slightly more recognition, Chat Noir deserved more recognition on the sole fact he was FAR more tolerable to work with. "Good for him. Maybe we should wear some cat merch to celebrate." He joked.
"I already got thirty commissions for Chat noir cat ears." Marrinetee raised her hand with a tired yawn. "Mind lending me one of your coffee bags? I'm in for a long night."
"Sorry, the blend isn't something that can be easily taken." Also Annasi may or may not go on a murder spree … he wasn't quite sure if the Kwami was evil or just didn't care.
"Maybe you need an intervention man." Adrien said with mild concern. "You'll stunt your growth."
"That's actually a myth." He countered.
"And like you can make the American shrimp any punier." Chloe got in her first jab of the day as she filed her overly long and tacky nails.
"Says the skinny girl who can't do a push up."
"Oh, like you can, noddle arms?" Chloe barked back.
"Nope, but I take my pride in the ability to run away from a villain instead of rushing in head first as my 'oh so special Spidey' comes to save me."
"You're just jealous because you know no super hero is going to be rushing to save your worthless hide." Again…some days it wasn't worth it to keep up the friendly banter as Spidey..
"Ladybug and Chat Noir saved him during Rogoer Cop, and they showed up WAY before Spider-man." Marinette called out. "Probably because they know and have a sense of decency."
"And yet they didn't stop the Akuma until Spidey showed up." She added, going back to her nails. "It really seems like he has to be there any time those bozos arrive, otherwise Paris would be a pile a rubble."
Well…she wasn't completely wrong. Annasi said the web of life and destiny thing was basically a danger magnet, so maybe he drew out Ladybug and Chat Noir the moment he transformed. Then again, they did get him out and hold him off …he just couldn't stand Ladybug's personality.