Hey guys, Bugaboo here! This is my entry for the No Ship-Hate Challenge, where I was assigned Adrien and Rena Rouge! I’m really upset, I got a new phone this week and all of the progress I’d made on this one-shot got deleted. Since today is the deadline for the No Ship-Hate challenge, I had to write out this really short version super fast. It’s not much, but I still wanted to submit something. Hope you enjoy!
///
The sparkling lights of Paris at night spread to the far corners of the horizon, looking like a city woven from lightning bugs. High above it all, perched at the tip of the Eiffel Tower, Adrien alone, a black ring clutched in his hands, brows furrowed with indecision.
“I should give it back,” Adrien said to him himself, thinking out loud. “I’ve always been a lousy Chat Noir anyway. Master Fu would do better to replace me.”
He sighed and tucked the jewel into his shirt pocket, lazily kicking his legs over the edge of the tower. A single tear rolled from his eye and fell hundreds of feet to the street below, dissipating in the breeze. There really was no choice. He had to give up being Chat Noir.
“You know, you can get arrested for being sitting out here after hours,” a feminine voice called from behind him.
Adrien didn’t turn around. The voice was familiar. “Really?” he asked. “Then what are you doing here?”
“Well, I’m a superhero. I’m sure they’ll make an exception,” Rena said, taking a seat beside Adrien. “Besides, I saw a suspicious character clad in black lurking around and figured I’d investigate.”
“Haha, very funny,” he replied humorlessly. “How did you find me?”
“To be honest, I was taking a midnight run over the rooftops and saw you up here looking all angsty. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Adrien took a deep breath, acutely award of the ring in his pocket. “Well, I’m definitely not great,” he deadpanned. “How would you feel if your secret identity was exposed to the entire city?”
Rena pinched her lips together. “Definitely not great,” she agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you should give up being Chat Noir. We need you on the team, Adrien.”
Adrien turned toward the heroine. The tower lights illuminated her hazel eyes like the reflection of stars in a forest lake. The bright ombré tones of her hair reminded him of the sunsets he’d once seen over the beaches of Sicily. The way her lips were tilted seemed to give her an amused expression, but Adrien could see the shadows if worry in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Rena, I don’t have a choice,” he said. “Even if I did want to keep my Miraculous, my dad would never let me now that he knows who I am.”
“Right,” Rena said with a tone of distaste. “Your dad. I still can’t believe the free-spirited, rule-breaking Chat Noir is also the caged-in, manners-minding Adrien Agreste.” Rena sighed and turned her head up toward the stars. “I guess it makes sense, though. Sometimes, when you’re under a mask, you can finally be the opposite of everything you’ve been forced to be.”
Adrien lighted bitterly. “Yeah, something like that.” He cocked his head toward Rena and raised an eyebrow mischievously. “You know, since your found out my secret identity, it’s only fair that you tell me yours.”
Rena grinned and rolled her eyes. “With your head cocked and cat-like curiosity, I can finally picture you as Chat. And sorry, but I’ll have to say no. Knowing my identity could give you a clue to who Ladybug is, and if she’s not ready to tell you that yet, then I won’t risk it.”
Adrien shrugged. “Oh well, it was worth a try.”
The vulpine heroine stood drew her flute. She played a few long, soulful notes that seemed to bring warm to the bitter night air. Rena swing the flute and the orange, glowing ball of light forming at the end of the instrument flew off into the sky, exploding into a dazzling display of fireworks. Pyrotechnics showered the dark sky with oranges and reds like a constellation composed of embers.
“Wow,” Adrien said with iration. “You can’t even tell it’s fake.”
Rena smiled sadly. “Yeah. Sometimes lies can be prettier than the truth.” She looked down at the boy and met his emerald eyes. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should surrender being Chat. The team would miss you... I would miss you.” A sad smile appeared subtly on her face.
She bent down and kissed Adrien in the cheek, her tan skin smelling of vanilla and coconut. As a wave of heat rose to Adrien’s face, Rena leapt into the fireworks display, causing herself to disappear along with the illusionary spectacle.
Adrien day dreamily for a moment, the warmth in his face being the only sign that he hadn’t imagined the encounter. He pulled the black ring from his shirt pocket and stared at it wistfully.
Maybe there were reasons to stay after all.
\\\
Of course, as the challenge says, please don’t comment any hate. If it makes you feel any better, let’s say that in this AU, Marinette doesn’t like Adrien and Alya isn’t dating Nino so that no one can get butthurt about cheating or breaking the friend code.
Word Count: 773
Comments (6)
AWMAGOSH—LOVE IT.
Thank you! :smile:
Awwwww... adorbs love it.
That is a wonderful fanfic! Great entry!
Such a lovely fanfic. Great job.