Chapter Text
Nathaniel hummed, reading the assignment in front of him. Trixx peaked out, careful not to come out too much so people didn't see him. He gently tapped the tablet pen against the tablet, struggling to completely understand it. Science sucks, why do I have to take this again?
"OWWWWWWWWW!"
Everyone jumped, looking at Chloe.
"What is it Chloe?" Ms. Mendeleiev demanded.
"Someone pulled my hair!" Chloe exclaimed.
Of course, Ms. Mendeleiev looked at Mylène, who sat right behind her.
"I-I didn't do it, Ms. M!" Mylène defended.
"Ugh, it wasn't her!" The blonde stood, "It was some invisible... mystical... being! Like, a leprechaun, or a unicorn, without the horn!"
Everyone but Nathaniel, Adrien, and Marinette laughed. The redhead glanced down at Trixx, who shook his head.
"Quiet everyone, eyes on your paper!" Ms. Mendeleiev demanded.
Chlo gasped, her small purse being pulled away from her. She tugged back, "SEE! It's happening again!"
Nathaniel wrote "Akuma?" on his tablet, Trixx shrugging.
Chloe fell back out of her chair, beginning to run around, trying to... escape whatever was chasing her.
"Chloe, we don't run in the classroom!"
"Miss, I will take Chloe to the principal and make sure she gets home!" Nathaniel raised his hand, erasing what he wrote on his tablet.
"What?! As if-" Chloe tried to argue before people's tablet pens began getting taken by the invisible person, throwing them at the blonde, "Oooooh, okay, okay! Please help!"
The redhead grabbed his things, Trixx hiding once more. He quickly opened the door, letting Cloe grab her things and quickly running out. He followed the woman to the principal, who cried and whined about her hair. She took out her phone, crying to the mayor about the situation. Once Mayor Bourgeois arrived to take "his princess" home, Nathaniel ran to the bathroom, where he Chat Noir.
"Fancy meeting you here, my prince~!" Chat teased.
Nathaniel closed the door, rolling his eyes, "Trixx, let's pounce!" The redhead transformed into Firefox before gently flicking the blonde's bell, "Chloe's on her way home."
"I'm proud of you, you know."
The redhead blinked, "For what."
The blonde smiled, kissing his cheek, "You don't like Chloe, but you still chose to help her. Even when she's been nothing but a jerk to you, you still stepped in to help."
Firefox blushed slightly, smiling, "W-Well, I am a hero. It's only right."
Chat just kissed his cheek again before the two left.
***
"Damaging my daughter's reputation is the same as soiling the good name of the mayor of Paris, which is ME!" Mayor Bourgeois told the public, being filmed live, "An attack on Chloe is an attack on PARIS!"
Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Firefox landed behind the mayor, everyone turning to face them as they waved a greeting.
"We'll find the culprit, Mister Bourgeois, you have our word!" Chat Noir promised, speaking for the three.
"Ah, wonderful, wonderful!" The man led the three inside, "Come, I will take you to her room!"
They used the elevator to go to the top floor. Once they reached it, the mayor led the heroes to Chloe's room, Firefox's ears standing up straight, flicking occasionally as he listened for everyone little noise.
"Hear anything?" Ladybug asked.
"Not yet. But I doubt whoever is doing this can hide forever. I hear everything." Firefox reassured.
Mayor Bourgeois opened the door, letting the three inside, "Chloe, my darling, we have some special guests here to help you!"
"LADYBUG!" Chloe exclaimed happily, running over to the woman and hugging her tightly, "I knew you'd come to save me! Considering what good friends we are!"
"Glad that isn't me." Firefox whispered, Chat chuckling. He cleared his throat, the Bourgeoises looking at him, "My ears are not just for show, I can use them to hear if anyone's nearby. It works better if I really focus on it. Do you mind if I use this table in front of the door? That way I can hear if anyone is approaching the door?"
"Oh, of course, feel free too!" Mayor Bourgeois reassured, "Whatever you need to do to help my princess be safe again, do it!"
Chat Noir and Ladybug removed the large vase from the table before Firefox sat down on it, sitting with his legs crossed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His ears stood straight up, listening to everything closely. While Ladybug and Chat Noir focused on investigating, he listened. He could hear the "servant's elevator" (as the Bourgeoises called it) being opened and closed constantly, he heard people walking while pushing a cart, he could even hear someone entering the lobby and then... stopping.
"In the lobby." Firefox called, "Is anyone at the front desk?"
"No, all the doors and windows are being locked, as we speak! I'm forbidding anyone from leaving the hotel until you all have handled this situation!" Mayor Bourgeois exclaimed.
"So, no one is checking people in or out?"
"No."
Firefox's eyes opened, "Someone's in the lobby and aren't moving."
"W-W-WHAT?!" Chloe yelled.
"Stay here, LB, Chat, and I will take care of it." Firefox got off the table, opening the door.
The three heroes left, Ladybug looking angry.
Chat nudged her, "What's got you upset?"
"She's not telling us everything." Ladybug pressed a different floor. She led them to the kitchen, where she corned Armand, the butler for the Bourgeoises, "Excuse me, Mr. Armand, can you please explain something to us?"
The man hesitated.
"I promise, nothing you say will go beyond these walls."
"...Mademoiselle did have a run-in with someone." The man spoke, "Miss Chloe and her friend Sabrina like to impersonate Ladybug and Chat Noir or Firefox, depending on the day. I was playing the part of Big Mustacheio that day, one of Mademoiselle's ideas. Big Mustacheio wants all Parisians to be defaced with heinous mustaches. We had come to this floor, where Ms. Madja Chamack was interviewing Mr. Jagged Stone about his new album. Miss Chloe got excited upon seeing him and everyone thought she was you, so she played the part."
"Wait, she pretended to be me?! How often does that happen?!"
"Did she not learn from Lady Wifi?" Firefox rolled his eyes, Chat nudging him, "Right, sorry, please continue."
The butler nodded, "Well, Miss Sabrina continued playing her part, finding and 'catching' me. She had called for Mademoiselle when they were still interviewing and..."
"Revealed she wasn't the real Ladybug." Chat Noir finished.
"Mademoiselle does argue with Miss Sabrina at times, I'd go so far to say it's the norm... but it was different this time. Miss Sabrina came back the next day, but Miss Chloe refused to talk to her. Going so far as to say that she was invisible, that she doesn't exist."
"Invisible..." Firefox murmured.
"The invisible person, the Vanisher, must be Sabrina, then!" Ladybug exclaimed, smiling at Armand, "Thank you, you've been a great help."
The three then went to the lobby, Firefox's ears flicking, turning to listen for every little noise as they walked into the middle of the lobby, keeping their guard up. He heard movement by the flowers and turned, ready to throw his shield. However, he stopped, seeing Chat picking a flower.
"Chat!"
"Whaaaat?" The blonde put the flower behind his ear, smiling, "Matches!"
"As cute as that is-" Firefox put the flower into a nearby vase, "-we need to focus."
"He's right, Chat!" Ladybug teased, "Don't get all lovey dovey when we have an advantage right now!"
The three began to move again when Firefox stopped, ears perking up. The other two stopped and watched as he turned around.
The flower had been thrown out of the vase.
Firefox's ears twitched and he turned to the woman, seeing her bangs moving, as if someone was reaching for her earrings, "LADYBUG!" He threw his shield, the woman jumping back, "I can hear you, you can't hide forever!"
The three stood back to back, Ladybug and Chat Noir twirling their weapons as the redhead's shield came back to him, his ears constantly twitching and moving. He turned when he heard furniture being picked up, using his shield to protect them.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called, catching a small vial of glitter, "Oh? How handy!"
"Looking for me, Sabrina?" The three heroes turned, seeing Chloe at the top of the lobby steps, "I'm right here~! Come on!"
"Oh no, seriously? You need to leave!" Ladybug demanded.
Chloe ignored her, walking down the stairs, "If you stop this ridiculousness right now, I might let you be my BFF again!"
Firefox jumped over to her, holding up his shield just in time to block books being thrown towards the blonde.
"You have no friends left, Chloe." Vanisher hissed, continuing to throw books at her as Ladybug grabbed the blonde to pull her away, "And you'll never have any ever again, I'll make sure of it!"
"You don't scare me! Everybody loves me!"
"This isn't a game!" Ladybug scolded the blonde, holding her as Chat and Firefox tried to find the villain.
"Ah- LB, BESIDE YOU-!" Firefox called.
But he was too late, as Vanisher grabbed Ladybug, pulling her away from Chloe. The woman, still holding the vial of glitter, let it go, kicking it up with her knee before kneeling down, forcing the red glitter to completely cover Vanisher. She then got out of the villain's grip, holding up her arms to fight.
"Just because you can see me, doesn't mean you can defeat me, Ladybug!"
"Good!" The villain widened her eyes as Chat and Firefox jumped in front of her, the blonde smirking, "Then it's up to the boys!"
"Destroy the bag and I can capture the akuma!"
"Wait, Ladybug, I don't think that's where the akuma is!" The blonde woman called. Ladybug groaned and ran to Chloe, pulling her into an elevator, even as she continued, "The akuma has to be in the designer pin I got her, she's wearing it right now, on her sweater! An unfortunate and ugly sweater, but it was a gift from me!"
"I won't tell you again, Chloe-" Ladybug scolded, "-you need to leave! You're putting yourself and us in great danger!" She then pressed the elevator button.
"Chat-! HEY!"
The woman turned around, seeing Chat had a pot stuck on his head with Vanisher trying to pin Firefox down, reaching for his necklace. The redhead unhooked his shield from his wrist, tossing it at her bag. Because of his power, the light toss turned into a hard throw, the straps cutting. He kicked the bag towards Ladybug before throwing Vanisher off of him. Ladybug grabbed the bag and ripped it, but only the contents came out, no akuma. Ladybug was confused before she thought about the pin. She threw her yoyo and it wrapped around Vanisher's wrist, pulling the woman towards her. She took the pin off and stomped on it, the akuma coming out. She caught and purified the akuma, setting everything back to normal.
Ladybug offered a fist bump.
"Why didn't you listen to Chloe?" Chat Noir asked as Firefox helped him stand, "She was only trying to help."
"First! She put us, all of us, in danger! Second, she completely lied to us!" Ladybug huffed, "I don't listen to liars!"
Chat looked at Firefox.
The redhead crossed his arms, "On one hand, I understand, but LB, she was genuinely trying to help. She may have gone about it in the wrong way, but she was right about the pin."
"A broken clock is right twice a day." The woman responded, helping Sabrina up and leading her out the door, the men following her.
News reporters immediately surrounded them, trying to ask Ladybug a ton of questions. The woman smiled and tried to push through, seeing as she was running out of time.
But she did tell them, "Chat Noir, Firefox, and I? We're an unstoppable team."
She went to leave, but as soon as they turned around, they saw... Chloe. Except, she was dressed in a black skin tight suit with red polka dots, the exact opposite of Ladybug.
"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have defeated Vanisher!" The new villain snickered, "I am Antibug! The only heroine Paris needs!"
Ladybug stepped back, "We got an emergency-"
Firefox enlarged his shield, pushing it at Ladybug, "Go. It'll come back to me when I need it."
She ran off as he and Chat Noir stood in front of Antibug. The redhead jumped towards her, going to punch her, which she easily blocked. They got into a heated fist fight before they jumped away from each other, Chat Noir extending his staff and going to hit the woman. Firefox jumped up the Le Grand Paris, his shield coming back to him right as Antibug threw his shield, trying to hurt him. Chat was quick to follow, trying to slam his baton into Antibug, just to get her to stop. However, she wrapped her yoyo around him and threw him away, the blonde crying out.
Firefox threw his shield to catch him before jumping down onto a nearby balcony, diving into a room. Antibug followed, throwing her yoyo once more, but Firefox dodged. He continued dodging her yoyo, Antibug getting increasingly more frustrated. Chat arrived and threw the redhead's shield, Antibug quickly jumping over it. The blonde woman growled and ran out of the room.
"She's getting away!" Firefox yelled.
"Oh no she's not!" Chat ran after her.
Firefox followed after him, seeing Chat going to the stairs. He ran after the blonde hero, the two going to the roof. However, while Chat managed get outside, Firefox was kicked back down the stairs. The redhead groaned, but quickly recovered, trying to push open the door again. However, it wasn't budging, meaning Antibug locked it from the outside.
"Dammit-!" He jumped down a level, pushing open the door. He ran to a window, opening it, before climbing up the wall.
Once he was up, he saw Antibug had somehow managed to tie Chat Noir to his own staff and was dangling him over the side of her room's balcony, threatening to drop him. He growled, looking at the center of his shield, pressing the silhouette of the fox. It turned into a phone as he tried to call Ladybug. Dammit, she's unavailable! Her kwami must still be recharging! Think Firefox, think! He looked around for something to help him before an idea popped into his head. He placed his shield down and pressed the middle again, scrolling to the news. He turned the volume up and began to play the video of Ladybug being interviewed.
"Chat Noir, Firefox, and I? We're an unstoppable team!" The video played as he moved around, making sure to stay out of Antibug's sight.
He watched as the woman placed a white couch chair on the staff to steady it before heading towards his shield. He then ran over, pulling Chat over, undoing his bindings.
"Hey, Foxy, just want to let you know, I'm not a fan of ropes." Chat Noir teased.
Firefox helped him up, rolling his eyes and flicking his nose, "Good thing I'll always save you, princess." He teased.
Antibug returned, growling at seeing the two back together.
"Ready for round two?" Chat teased as Firefox held up his arm, his shield flying back to him.
The three got into a heated fight again, going to the roof. Chat and Firefox dodged Antibug's attacks, the redhead trying to throw his shield at her while the blonde man hit her yoyo away. At one point, the yoyo almost hit Firefox's face.
But then a red with black polka dots yoyo hit it back.
"Nice yoyo, mine's better!" Ladybug exclaimed as she arrived.
"'Bout time!" Firefox teased as the three stood on one side of the rooftop pool, Antibug on the other.
"I'm thinking the akuma's in her yoyo."
"I think her earrings." Chat suggested, "She was already wearing them when akumatized and her yoyo broke."
"Nice thinking!"
"Look out!" Firefox blocked an incoming yoyo attack from Antibug.
The villain then used it to pull the pool cover over the pool, Firefox and Chat jumping back as Antibug and Ladybug... got into a yoyo fight. The two women threw their yoyos at one another, either hitting one another or blocking it by spinning their yoyos. Firefox and Chat Noir looked between the two, the blonde putting his staff down and leaning on one leg while Firefox extended his shield, putting it on the ground and leaning into it.
"...So, how's your day been?" Chat jokingly asked.
"Oh, you know. Just battling an mystical unicorn and now a copycat." Firefox chuckled, "And you?"
"Lucky Charm!" "Anti Charm!" Both women called out, throwing their yoyos up.
Ladybug got a bag of marbles while Antibug got a big sword, the blonde woman cackling.
"You're gonna beat me with a bag of marbles?" She mocked, "Child's play!"
"See, that's your downfall, always so quick to judge!" Ladybug argued.
Antibug ran towards the other woman, swinging the large sword, which Ladybug easily dodged. She ran to Chat, throwing the marbles up. Knowing what to do, he swung his baton, easily breaking the bag, sending the marbles flying.
At the same time, Firefox threw his shield up, "Flame Wheel!"
Antibug tripped over the marbles, her sword flying up. With his shield engulfed in flames, Firefox threw it at the sword, the shield pinning the sword to a nearby wall before the flames cut the sword in half, rendering it useless.
"Ugh, you're nothing without Chat Noir and Firefox!" Antibug hissed.
"Chat Noir, Firefox, and I are a team." Ladybug reiterated, walking up to the men and putting her elbows on them, "You take me on? You take them on too! It's not my problem if you don't have any friends!"
The women's earrings beeped.
"Cataclysm!" Chat called out, putting his hand against the pool cover, forcing it to crack and making Antibug fall through.
Running over, Ladybug grabbed the woman's earrings before slamming them on the ground, stomping on them for good measure. The akuma came out, allowing Ladybug to quickly capture and purify it before setting everything back to normal.
This time, the three fist bumped, "Pound it!"
"What am I- Ladybug?" Chloe questioned, standing up.
"Oh, Chloe..." The woman turned, "Listen, I'm really sorry about earlier. I would have defeated Vanisher if I had taken your advise. Not only that, but I was really short and yelled at you when you were just trying to help. I'm sorry."
"Well, in that case, I might have to reconsider!" Chloe teased.
"Reconsider?"
"I might just have to stay your most devoted fan after all!"
"A-Ah, yeah, right! Thanks!" Ladybug smiled awkwardly, "Well, if I may, let me offer you some advice. You should make up with your friend, Sabrina."
Chloe seemed hesitant.
"I know she embarrassed you, but you two are BFFs, right?" Firefox asked, "I mean, you wouldn't have gotten her that pin if you didn't appreciate all the stuff she's done for you."
"Besides, if you two practice, I'm sure you guys will make a great Ladybug and Chat Noir team!" Chat exclaimed, "Or Firefox, whichever you prefer!"
"Well, if it's coming from you guys..." She smiled, "I'll do it."
"Good. Now, I gotta go back to my den before I transform, see ya!" Firefox jumped away.
"I gotta go too! Bug out!"
***
"You know, I'm kind of jealous." Nathaniel hummed, Adrien sitting with him before class.
"Jealous? Of what?" The blonde questioned.
"How come you and LB got a copy?" The redhead teased, whispering, "Where's the person trying to copy Firefox?"
Adrien rolled his eyes, flicking his nose, "Oh, hush. You don't want a copycat."
"Says who? Could be fun, watching you struggle to tell who's who!"
"No way! That would be so embarrassing!" The blonde chuckled, "What if the only way I could tell you apart is with a kiss?"
"Well, if you kissed the wrong person, I'd be upset."
"See! I wouldn't be able to tell!"
Nathaniel shook his head, smiling as he poked his nose, "You would be."
"How do you know?"
"Because I was able to tell with Copycat. And we weren't even dating. Now that we are, I'm sure you could tell."
Adrien paused for a moment before offering his hand to the other. The redhead placed his hand on the blonde's. Adrien squeezed and smiled, "Stay safe?"
The redhead smiled, squeezing his hand back, "I always am."