Chapter Text
The chances of a rainy day during summer in Paris are low, but not zero. And unfortunately, this was one of those days.
Although the citizens of Paris might consider it a blessing in disguise as it allowed most of them to stay home and not be anywhere near the destruction that was happening right now.
On a particular street close to a manor, there were clear signs of battle. Destroyed cars, streets completely wrecked and lamp posts looking like they were ripped apart. In the middle of it all, there were three figures, all dressed rather peculiarly. One of them was wearing what was essentially a cat costume, clad in black leather, a belt working as a tail, a bell around their neck, a black mask and cat ears. This was Chat Noir, one of the heroes of Paris.
Normally, he is known for his bad puns, flirtatious and aloof attitude in the face of danger, which relaxes the people of Paris whenever an akuma attacked. I mean if the guy is making jokes, then it’s not that big of a deal, right?
However, none of that was present here. His body was shaking in fury, he was gritting his teeth so hard you could probably hear them crack, his left hand was holding his baton so tight, it was a surprise it hadn’t been crushed, while his other hand, the one that contained his Miraculous, had his Cataclysm activated. Finally his pupils were turned into slits and just staring at them long enough sent a shiver down your spine.
He was like a predator, completely focused on the prey before him, which happened to be the two figures in front of him.
“Adrien, please if you just let us ex-” One of the figures started to talk.
“QUIET!” Chat Noir interrupted as he pounced at them. The figure dodged at the last second and Chat Noir slammed his Cataclysm on the floor, cracking it and destroying the street even more. With a quick reaction, he kicked the mysterious person in the stomach, sending them flying against a wall.
The other figure tried to speak as well. “We didn’t think-”
“LIES!” Sadly Chat Noir was not in a mood to talk, swinging his baton like a baseball bat at the person’s head. If the figure hadn't used their weapon to guard, they might have been hurt badly.
This was the gist of the fight. They tried to explain and Chat Noir didn’t listen. It got to a point where their fight had dragged itself across the city of Paris to a specific location.
The three fighters stopped at a park, with Chat Noir landing on top of a statue, all of them catching their breath.
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me…” The figure said once they realize where they landed.
“Of all the parks…” The other figure lamented with a grimace.
“Well, well, isn’t this ironic!? All the tears I spilled here when I should have been spitting at him! AND YOU ALL ALLOWED THIS!” Chat Noir shouted as he slammed his baton on top of the head of Gabriel Agreste’s statue, but sadly the statue was very durable, so it did nothing. Though Chat Noir was undeterred as he kept slamming his baton over and over like a madman, until he was interrupted by a voice.
“Chat Noir!”
The three figures turned to the source of the voice, seeing another figure land. She was covered in a simple red skin tight suit with black dots, alongside a mask following the same theme and a yo-yo at her hip.
This was Ladybug, the other hero of Paris.
Alongside Ladybug, other animal-themed superheroes arrived, all of them looking at Chat Noir like he lost his mind.
“What are you doing!?” Ladybug shouted, confused at the situation before her.
Chat Noir laughed. At first it was a small chuckle, before it turned into full-blown laughter. “Well, well, well the gang’s all here! Including my beloved partner!” Chat Noir shouted that last part with so much venom, Ladybug actually took a step back. “I wonder, how many here know the truth? Hmmm, imma be generous and say… 5? Yeah, 5 is a nice number…”
“What are you talking about!?” Ladybug shouted.
“Don’t you dare play the fool!” Chat Noir shouted, pointing his baton at Ladybug. The rest of the heroes tensed, reaching for their weapons. “I’m not like the rest of them. I see right through your lies. All of them.”
From his position, he could see Ladybug eyes widen in shock alongside something else: fear. Oh but she wasn’t scared of him. She was scared that her precious little secret was discovered and not the one revolving her identity. It sickened him.
“I was your partner. I have been with you at your lowest, been with you since the start, been your shoulder to lean on everytime you falter. And what do I get in return?" Chat Noir asked, not sure if the liquids streaming down his face were tears or the rain. "Secrets and lies from people who think they know what’s best for me! Well I had it!”
Chat Noir raised his arm and Ladybug gasped, a memory of a past battle resurfacing.
“FOR ALL I CARE, THIS WHOLE WORLD CAN GO TO-”
“Adrien…”
Chat Noir stopped, hearing the voice coming from the baton in his hand. Thankfully, the rain, the low volume and the distance allowed only him to listen. The voice sounded so small, so fragile and…
“...You’re scaring me.”
Chat Noir was silent, before taking a small breath. "What’s the point? You’re not going to change like this..." Chat Noir said before jumping and slamming his hand onto the statue of Gabriel, destroying it instantly and forming a huge cloud of dust.
Using the smokescreen as a distraction, he ate a cheese. “Power up…” he muttered as he transformed into Astrocat. He quickly took flight. Ladybug tried to stop him with her yo-yo, but Astrocat easily dodged, disappearing into the grey sky.
He went beyond the clouds and beyond the atmosphere until he turned around and oversaw the planet.
…He let it all out. All his frustration, sadness, anger… he let it all out in a place where nobody could hear him scream and cry.
And to think that this all started with a vacation trip to Japan