Author's Note: Welcome to my first contribution to the Miraculous fandom wheeee! I'm relatively new here, joined around the time episode 4 aired in Korea. Anybody familiar with my previous works will know that I'm an angst dragon, but here's hoping I won't get kicked out of the fandom too early.

This story follows a non-linear narrative, so apologies in advance for any confusion. Please enjoy :)

The Other Half of Us

Part 1

The bell around Chat Noir's neck was empty.

Ladybug assumed it was simply a mere decoration on his costume. After all, what kind of superhero would want to alert their enemies to their presence, especially one who was supposed to be the personification of a stealthy black cat? (Not quite the case since he didn't always land on his feet, but that was beside the point.)

It was the second thing that had caught Ladybug's attention during her first encounter with the flirtatious vigilante. Chat Noir's electric green eyes had captivated her initially, at least up to the point where she realized he was leaning in a little too close for comfort. A sharp kick to his shin was all it took to break the spell, and amidst the ensuing confusion – which nearly turned into an actual fight until their respective kwamis assured them that neither posed a threat to the other – all thoughts of teasing her future akuma-fighting partner about his shiny accessory quickly slipped her mind.

The topic never really came up again later on, so that was that.

"Dude, you look terrible!"

"Thanks Nino."

"Your father's really working you to the bone, huh?" Nino patted his best friend's back in sympathy. Adrien groaned and reached into his messenger bag, pulling out a thermos. "Ugh, coffee again? How can you even drink that stuff?"

The blond yawned loudly. "It's not so bad once you get used to it," he insisted, twisting the cap off. "And it helps me stay awake during class so I don't fall behind."

Nino scrunched his nose in distaste as the bitter smell of hot espresso wafted out. The upcoming fashion conference in Paris had been all over the news recently. It went without saying that Gabriel Agreste was actively involved in it, and the fact that he had roped his son into participating was no surprise either. Adrien had been busy attending more meetings and photoshoots in the past few weeks, leaving him with even less spare time than before.

While most of Adrien's admirers would argue that he looked perfect as always, Nino could see the exhaustion taking its toll on him, the fatigue weighing down on his shoulders, the almost imperceptible bags under his eyes. Frankly speaking he was getting worried, and the onset of Adrien's caffeine addiction wasn't helping his case at all.

Unbeknownst to Nino, he wasn't the only one who had noticed.

Alya nudged her best friend suggestively as she peeked around the corner where the two boys were. "You hear that? I told you the coffee bread was a good idea!" she whispered excitedly. "Bring a loaf with you to school after lunch. I'm sure Adrien would appreciate it!"

Should I tell him?

"Marinette!"

The girl in question jumped back with a squeak, rubbing her arm where Alya had pinched her. "Ow… Alya!"

"What? Come on, this is your chance! The boy of your dreams is under a lot of stress. Don't you want to make him feel better?"

"I do, but…" I've kept quiet long enough. "What if he doesn't like bread? Or – or if it messes up his diet? Then he won't be able to model in his new clothes and it'll be all my fault!"

Alya rolled her eyes with an amused huff, having long gotten used to Marinette's vivid imagination and crazy scenarios. "That won't happen, trust me! You look like you've got something you really want to say to him, so just offer him some food and start talking!"

"Easier said than done…" Marinette sighed dejectedly. I need to tell him, but I don't want him to be disappointed. What do I do?

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Alya poked her cheek lightly, a hint of concern on her face. "You're usually more jumpy than this when it comes to Adrien. I don't know what's gotten you so preoccupied lately, but worrying about it isn't going to solve anything."

Laughing uneasily, Marinette took Alya's arm and steered her towards their classroom, effectively ending the conversation. Alya didn't press the issue any further to her relief, yet Marinette felt as though there were a dozen black butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"– with the collapse of the billboards atop the weather station last night. While the authorities suspect foul play, there have been no sign of forced entry into the building. Inspection teams are currently working to determine the cause of this bizarre incident, and their assessment of the structural integrity –"

There was something in Chat Blanc's bell that made it tinkle, the seemingly innocuous sound sending chills running down her spine. The accessory itself had changed along with the rest of his costume – now bleached a ghostly shade of white, a blank canvas for Hawk Moth's purposes – sporting an imprint of a black rose on the smooth surface.

A distant part of Ladybug immediately zeroed in on that fact, wasting no time in pinpointing the akuma's hiding place, but her attention was focused on the feral look in her former partner's eyes. The twisted grin etched onto his face was paralyzing, screaming danger DANGER as he moved towards her like a tiger stalking its prey, the barest hint of a bounce in his steps, taking his sweet time knowing that she was too frozen in horror to run.

Ladybug couldn't remember the last time pure, unadulterated fear had gripped her heart like this. Her limbs refused to cooperate even as her instincts screamed at her to do something, anything. Hawk Moth's cruel laughter in the background was drowned out by the clear ringing of Chat's bell as he approached her, and she shuddered involuntarily.

Perhaps that was what the bell was for, she thought absently. Chat Blanc wasn't afraid to let people know he was near; he wanted them to hear him coming and realize that there was nothing they could do to stop it.

The cat was out of the bag, and it wanted to play.

"Ladybug, behind you!"

The superheroine reacted on sheer instinct, swinging her yo-yo sharply as she twisted around in mid-air, barely slicing through the blue ribbon which had been going for her throat.

"Hold still, you little brats!" Quicklace growled in annoyance, regenerating the fabric at the tip of her wand. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured up more streaks of ribbons and sent them flying towards the two masked teens. They dodged and weaved furiously, but there was only so much space in the main hall of the dance school. One stray ribbon managed to wrap itself around Chat Noir's waist and flung him towards the window, sending him crashing through it and into the alley outside.

When her partner failed to reappear after several minutes, Ladybug began to worry. It wasn't the first time he had taken such a hit (in fact he once joked about preferring to be thrown through a window rather than into a wall), but given that he had already used his signature move earlier on in the fight, it was possible that his suit's low power was preventing him from recovering as quickly.

Faced with a hydra of ribbons, armed with only a yo-yo and no backup, Ladybug decided to make a temporary retreat. Ducking under another ribbon, she swung herself up onto the rafters and leapt through the window, landing perfectly on her feet next to Chat Noir's motionless form.

"Chat!" she gasped, dropping to her knees. The other teen was sprawled on the ground in an unconscious heap, but fortunately he was still breathing. Abandoning all thoughts of returning to the battle, Ladybug cradled his head and gently sifted through his hair, feeling the contours of a bump forming on the back of his skull. Biting her lip in worry, she was too caught up in trying to figure out their next move to notice the last flashing paw mark on his ring.

There was the sound of telltale beeping, and then suddenly it wasn't Chat Noir in her lap anymore.

"– in what seems to be some kind of soapy liquid. Visitors have reported the mass of slippery puddles at the base of the Eiffel Tower, and the mayor has ordered an immediate cleaning of the national monument –"

Now that Marinette was in her best friend's shoes, she finally understood the pains of what Alya loved to call 'shipping'.

It made her wonder if she and Adrien used to act the way Nino and Alya did, constantly dancing back and forth and around each other, driving their respective wingman (or wingwoman) nuts with the urge to tell them to just kiss already! Granted, Nino and Alya had known each other for longer and they were less shy when it came to expressing themselves, but there was still that invisible line that had yet to be crossed.

Nevertheless, Marinette was truly happy for Alya. Nino had started to hang out with them more often, and she found herself coming up with all sorts of schemes to give them some alone time together (Alya's matchmaking tendencies had clearly rubbed off on her). She liked Nino, and her best friend deserved to be with someone like him.

There was only one problem with the whole arrangement: the reason Nino had joined their little duo in the first place.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Adrien's a real stick in the mud."

Marinette winced. Coming from his best friend, that was saying something. She watched as Alya wrapped an arm around Nino's slumped shoulders, feeling her heart sink at the crestfallen look on his face.

It was as though Adrien had turned into a completely different person. He had become more closed off and aloof, preferring to spend his time hiding away in the library than with his friends. The excuse of needing to catch up with his studies was getting old, and there was only so much brushing off Nino could take before he stopped asking the blond if he wanted to hang out after class.

Adrien's new wardrobe reflected the drastic change in his personality as well. A white long sleeved button down shirt, black tie, gray vest and dark slacks – all part of an upcoming clothing line he had to model for the fashion conference. Many assumed he was getting used to the style, and Marinette had to admit he did look good in that outfit. Chloé had been all over Adrien the first day he had worn it to school, but even she had been put off by his behavior after a while. Sabrina had told her to give him some space, reasoning that he had been under a lot of pressure lately.

But Marinette knew better.

I should have told him.

"Hello, anyone home?"

Marinette blinked in surprise, finding Alya snapping her fingers in front of her face.

"Come on, don't you start being all gloomy around me too," Alya said with a frown. "You've been acting weird since last month. Adrien's changed, I get that, but now it's like you're trying your best to avoid him altogether. What's wrong?"

"I –" Marinette turned away, one hand coming up to tug at her pigtails. "I'm fine Alya, I promise," she insisted weakly, forcing a smile to reassure her friend. But Alya only shook her head, not buying the obvious lie.

Nino sighed and fixed Marinette with a worried look of his own. "You're scaring us, Mari. Whatever it is, please let us help. We're your friends, right? I've already lost Adrien, I don't want to –" He paused, his eyes darting over her shoulder. "Speak of the devil," he muttered under his breath.

Sure enough, Marinette spun around to see Adrien descending the steps to the school. The three of them followed him with their eyes, watching as other students in his way automatically moved aside to let him pass. It felt like an eternity before he reached the limo parked at the curb, and Marinette didn't realize she had been holding her breath until he finally opened the door.

As though sensing their stares, Adrien suddenly turned towards them.

It was hard not to flinch under his intense gaze. Adrien seemed to be looking right at her, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly in a smirk. Under any other circumstances Marinette would have swooned, but now she only felt like crying.

She missed Adrien's smile.

It took every ounce of self-control not to drop Adrien when he abruptly jerked awake in her arms. Seeing as they were swinging above Paris at a dangerous height, it simply wouldn't do to let all her efforts to get him to safety go down the drain. Adrien instinctively wrapped his arms around her as they soared through the air, but Ladybug's inner Marinette was silent. There was no giddy excitement swelling in her chest, no racing heartbeat or choir of angels in sparkling fantasies.

I didn't mean to find out like this. It was an accident.

Back when they had first met, they had made a promise. They knew the risks of becoming superheroes, and they had agreed to keep their civilian identities a secret from each other. It went without saying that Ladybug wouldn't tell a soul about her discovery, but did she trust her partner to return the favor?

Of course I do! It's Adrien I'm talking about, and Chat may be a playful goof, but he's never given me a reason to doubt him before!

But it was too late; the damage had been done the moment Chat Noir's mask had vanished from his face.

"You'll be safe here," Ladybug told him as she landed in an empty alley several streets away from the dance school. After depositing him carefully on the ground, she quickly stepped away, trying not to let any of her inner turmoil show as she prepared to flee.

"W-wait!" The sudden pressure on her wrist forced her to turn back, and her stomach dropped at the sight of the conflicted look on Adrien's face. "You – Did you –?"

Should I tell him? Ladybug swallowed nervously. She knew what he was asking. "Quicklace is still out there. I need to go back and stop her."

"But – It's too dangerous! You can't go by yourself!" Adrien insisted, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "What if something happens to you?"

The sheer amount of concern in his eyes only made her feel guiltier. It pained her to pry his hand off, but she had no choice. "I – I have to find my partner," she said softly, noticing the way his shoulders seemed to sag. She hoped it was in relief.

Because it was true – she didn't know who her partner was. Was it Adrien, her cool, suave, perfect crush? Or was it Chat Noir, the flirtatious, cocky, reckless catboy? It was a struggle to reconcile the two vastly different sides of the same boy, and Ladybug didn't know who to believe anymore. She never had any problems keeping the two halves of her dual life separate before, but now the lines had been blurred beyond recognition.

"Be careful!" Adrien called out after her as she started to walk away. There was no mistaking the tone of worry in his voice, and it was all Ladybug could do to nod, unable to speak past the heavy lump in her throat. Because Chat Noir loved Ladybug, the strong, confident superheroine who always found a way to save the day. Not clumsy, shy, awkward Marinette, the plain little girl who couldn't even get past one day without making a fool of herself.

And if Adrien had never noticed her, what made her think that Chat Noir would ever give her a chance if he learned the truth?

The sun was setting, splashing hues of pink and orange across the Paris sky. The air was cool that evening, and a light breeze made Marinette shiver where she rested on the rooftop balcony of her house.

Things had been pretty peaceful lately, at least on Hawk Moth's side. With no akuma attack in weeks, it was nice to enjoy some time off from fighting supervillains, even though Marinette knew it wouldn't last. Call it paranoia or instinct, but she had a feeling something big was in the works and coming their way soon. The calm before the storm, as they say.

Recently, there had been a series of strange occurrences in the city, a mysterious trail of incidents that left the authorities baffled. The collapse of the billboards atop the weather station, the soapy liquid coating the Eiffel Tower… Ladybug was still trying to figure out the pattern, if there was any. While the events seemed to be unrelated, something told her that there was more to them than meets the eye. The destruction of Theo's statue in the city square had been the latest, and it was only yesterday that Ladybug had paid the sculptor a visit to express her sympathies. There was no mistaking the bitterness in his words even as he assured her that it gave him an excuse to rework his models and adjust their heights. After all, Chat Noir did point out (a little too happily, in his opinion) that he was taller than his partner.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Chat around for a while either. They didn't schedule regular meetings or anything, but her partner rarely missed the opportunity to seek her out when she was patrolling. His tracker was off – which was fine, because it meant he wasn't transformed and was probably busy with his civilian life – but what worried her was the fact that he hadn't been responding to her calls. No matter the situation, he always answered.

"Penny for your thoughts, Marinette?" Tikki's voice chimed next to her. The kwami giggled as Marinette rubbed her head affectionately with a finger, and settled herself comfortably on her shoulder.

"I've just been thinking," Marinette replied, sighing absently.

"About Adrien and Chat?"

"Yeah… He's so different now. Adrien, I mean. I didn't think his father was putting that much pressure on him, but he just seems so stressed nowadays. You think that's why he doesn't transform anymore?"

Tikki hummed contemplatively. "Maybe. He does look like he needs all the rest he can get. Have you thought about telling him yet?" she asked, earning a groan from the teen.

"I don't know! It's not fair for only one of us to know, and I want to tell him, I really do, but I – I'm scared…" The last part came out in a fragile whisper, and Tikki nuzzled Marinette's cheek in comfort.

"You can't run forever Marinette," the kwami told her sadly. "I know it's hard for you, but even though Adrien's your crush and Chat Noir's your partner, don't forget that they're your friends too. How do you think they'd feel if they knew how long you've been keeping it from them?"

Marinette was quiet for a long while. "You're right Tikki," she said eventually, a familiar glint of determination in her eyes. "No more running. The next time I see him, I'm going to tell him."

But there was no next time.

"What have you done to him?" Ladybug whispered in horror, shaking her head in denial even as the living evidence continued to move towards her, prowling gracefully along the rooftop where she stood.

"I did nothing." Clear amusement danced in Hawk Moth's eyes. "He came to me, offering to trade his Miraculous for a share of my power. You really should have kept a tighter leash on your pet, my dear."

"LIAR! Give him back!" she demanded, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. "Let him go!"

"Now why would I do that? After all, he is my son."

Ladybug could have sworn her heart stopped beating right then and there. Hawk Moth was Gabriel Agreste? Impossible! He was one of Marinette's idols; he declared her the winner of his design competition and let Adrien model in her bowler hat; she looked up to him! There was no way – she refused to believe it.

Hawk Moth cackled evilly. "Don't look so shocked, Ladybug. To be fair he's not the right one, but that's the tricky thing about twins. Chat Noir – or should I say Chat Blanc – is just a vessel, but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect one. Felix is on his way back, I've made sure of it."

Head spinning, Ladybug struggled to gather her bearings. Adrien never mentioned anything about having a sibling, let alone a twin! What the hell's going on?

At the chime of the clock tower, Chat Blanc pounced. Ladybug had no choice but to go on the defensive, evading his clawed swipes and countering the blows from his staff with her yo-yo. She knew she had to fight back, but she couldn't bear to hurt Chat in the process.

"It's your fault, you know," Hawk Moth commented casually as he watched Chat forcing her backwards. "You've stepped on his heart too many times when all he ever wanted was your love."

You've always had it! ADRIEN!

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. The billboards, the soap, Theo's statue – they all corresponded to the akumas they had defeated previously. Timebreaker was next on the list, and Ladybug had immediately tried to contact Chat the moment all the clues came together. There had been no response as usual, so she had decided to investigate on her own. She never thought she would end up fighting her partner when she arrived at the last clock tower she searched.

Should have told him should have told him SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM

"Marinette, look out!" Tikki's voice screamed in her ear.

Ladybug barely managed to dodge the claws aimed at her head, but she was too slow to avoid the incoming kick sent her way. The impact had her flying backwards and crashing into a wall, and it took every last bit of willpower in her to stand up again.

"That's my boy," Hawk Moth practically cooed, and her stomach churned as Chat Blanc purred at the praise. The way he looked at her with that wild glint in his eyes, that animalistic hunch in his posture… It was all wrong.

She had never felt so hopeless before in her life, even as Tikki reminded her that she had yet to use Lucky Charm to turn the tables. "If you're going to do something, you need to do it now!" the kwami urged. "We won't last very long in a fight against Chat otherwise!"

Ladybug shuddered as Chat Blanc licked his lips, his sharp gaze never leaving her throat, and she knew there was only one thing she could do.

She turned and fled, the ringing of Chat Blanc's bell echoing in her ears as she ran.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear what you think about this story. Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)

(Ha! Chat, get it? It's – never mind I'm lame ignore meeee-ow~)

((Sorry I'll stop now.))