This chapter is a collaboration with sethadler !!

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Nino collapsed against the wall as the door swung shut, his leader having just been dragged off. He was exasperated. He knew that he had voted in favor of working with that snarky cop, but what in the world was going on? What was so important that they would leave? And most importantly of all, where were they?

Where are they?

Well as of now, there was nothing to do but wait for them to come back. Since Felix had practically been booted out of the crew and now the new girl was gone with Chat, that would make Nino the next in command. He had to think of something... everyone was waiting for his orders after all.

Chat did say they were going to burn the place down, right? He didn't imagine that? Might as well start packing then. That would be an okay place to start. "Alright, alright. Now I get it my dudes: the cat has left the cradle. But you heard my man already. Pack up all the important stuff. We're moving out!"

The crew members glanced at each other awkwardly for a moment, shuffling their feet.

Nino snapped to his feet, ripping his revolver from his trousers, a thirty-eight special, and blasted a vase across the massive conference room without so much as looking at it. He was known as the crack shot number three of the infamous Chat Noir gang after all. There had to be at least some weight behind the name 'Nicholas Lahiffe.' The sound of the gunshot and the shattering vase slammed into the grunts with the force of an earthquake, stunning them before Nino shouted.

"Do you think I'm messing around? Get to work! Chat will have your heads for ignoring orders!" No one moved for a split second as the personality swap set in, but when it did, they formed into a den of activity: nodding quickly and rushing off to prepare for the move. Nino sighed and slumped back against the wall again, sliding to the ground dissatisfied. He didn't like being the big, scary, boss man, but that was all that these dunces could get through their heads sometimes. He just wanted to blast some music and shut his eyes for a few minutes...

Ten minutes, he told himself as he slipped his headphones on and started his music, closing his eyes and tapping his revolver to the beat.

Twenty minutes passed like this before he felt a tap on his shoulder, a blonde with green eyes standing over him. He jumped, ripping his headphones off and looking at...

He sighed in relief when he realized it wasn't who he thought it was. "Damn it Felix, I thought you were your brother."

Felix chuckled nervously, gesturing at his clothes. "Does this look like a cat suit to you?"

Nino glanced over the wrinkled light shirt and vest that the blonde was wearing. "Of course not." He said, rolling his eyes. "What do you want?"

"What's happening?"

"Moving day."

"Why?"

Nino rolled his eyes, suppressing a groan. "I can't tell you, Felix. You know that."

"Oh..."

Nino looked up at him in confusion, closely studying his features. He sounded genuinely disappointed and, surprisingly, looked the same. Not usual for the Chat's cocky brother. Odd.

"Go pack. We'll be leaving soon"

Felix nodded, his shoulders slumped. What was with him? Well, about time to check on everyone's progress anyway.

So, Nino slipped off, sliding through halls and checking rooms for everyone's progress.

Hours passed with no word from the two that had raced off during the meeting, so it came as no surprise when Nino almost had a heart attack from the door he walked past slamming open, revealing his boss' black leather. He had so many questions, the least of which was how in the world Marinette had dragged him away without dying.

"Nino! My man! My buddy, my friend, my pal! Do me a favor and gather the homies up! We'll see you in an hour; we have a plan!" Chat gushed, slinging his arm around his third in command.

Nino didn't know what was happening but he did know this: it was terrifying. What did she do to HIS Chat Noir?! Nino worked up the courage to look at his leader who was hanging on him and his heart froze for a second. The grin spread across Chat's face bordered on psychotic, and the look in his eyes was full of what he thought was such gleeful bloodlust that Nino thought his life would end there.

"Okay sir!" Nino squeaked out, his voice barely audible and several octaves higher than usual.

What the hell was going on?!

Chat made an approving noise and slipped off of him, only to have his bell flicked by the new girl.

Nino's eyes widened at the sight.

Marinette had flicked his bell.

"Don't scare the poor boy, kitty," she giggled, laughing into her hand. Chat responded with a cartoonishly massive sweeping bow as he chuckled.

"Of course, you are right as always m'lady! Sorry Nino buddy! Now, shall we be off my purrincess?" He questioned, kissing her hand. She flushed and giggled, pulling back her hand.

"Sounds great, kitty." Chat swept her off her feet as she squeaked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Adrien, no!" She squealed as Chat took off running, racing off down the hall and around the corner, their laughter fading away.

Nino, too stunned and shocked by what he had just witnessed, watched them go with a slightly terrified look on his face.

"God if you are real..." Nino whispered to himself. "Please tell me what just happened."

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Soon everyone was gathered in the conference room once again, Chat Noir and Marinette standing together on a small stage that they had compiled from loose crates so they could be seen easier.

"All right, everyone listen up!" Chat shouted, gathering everyone's attention. "It's about time we go to war and here's how we're going to do it!"

Marinette perked up, beginning to explain as Chat nodded to her. They had gone over the plan in depth before they returned, that way they could get all the kinks out of the plan.

"First things first, we are going to use Chat's fame to our advantage. We need Gabriel to think that we have more forces than he thought. So... first things first: we need to burn this building to ashes and escape to another hideout. Unless I'm mistaken, Nicholas should have a list of backup hideouts that he keeps for Chat. Right, Adrien?"

Nicholas nodded before freezing, all the blood rushing out from his face as he realized what she'd just said. No one could address Chat Noir by his real name and get away with it. But she already had, hadn't she? But that didn't seem to perturb him. If anything, Nino swore he saw a small smile pull at Chat Noir's lips as he simply nodded at Marinette, giving her the okay to continue where she'd left off.

What is going on?

"Right, princess. Nicholas, you still have that, right?" Nicholas nodded. "Good. Then the next step is that each of you are going to hunt down each of the smaller gangs with a message from the infamous Chat Noir that effortlessly stole the jewel: they are going to do something for me unless they're ready to die."

From the corner of his eye, Nino noticed Marinette sneak off.

"We will use these gangs to create riots all across the city and split up the police force, leaving Gabriel weak in the police headquarters," Chat continued. "Then, a group of us will go in, surround him, and force him to give up the location of the jewel. Doing so will provide proof of his criminal activity and should be enough to put him away for life. He's guilty of enough murders for that after all. But first things first, Marinette is officially my partner. Whatever she says goes, as if it is coming from myself." Chat Noir stepped back, gesturing to the red figure emerging from the doorway behind him. "You will address her as Ladybug."

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Marinette didn't know how long they had stood there hugging before Chat had plastered his mask back on, both figuratively and literally, but she felt bad about pulling away from him. He had put his heart on the line and she had pushed him away again. Nonetheless, Chat was back to his confident self, pulling her out of the window and dropping several stories to the ground below, his grip around her secure. She really hoped he wasn't just faking his cheerful attitude.

"Chaton? Where are we going?" She asked, holding on tightly as he bounded over rooftops and dark alleys, rushing inhumanly towards his destination.

"We're going to see an old friend. You need something to protect you when we go. This will keep you safe."

Keep me safe? Marinette wondered. What does he mean? I have a vest already. Chat leaped off of a building, falling short of the next rooftop. Marinette buried her face into his chest as they plummeted, crashing through a window several stories lower than where they were. Marinette clutched herself against Chat's chest, waiting for the inevitable crash that would send her flying away from him, sliding across the floor like the rest of the glass. But the impact never came.

She looked up, slowly and hesitantly, to see his strong jawline a hair away from her, her eyelashes brushing against him. Her heart fluttered as she realized that he didn't move, a strong blush working its way from under his mask.

He could probably feel her breath on his neck.

Marinette took a deep breath as panic began to set in along with her flushed cheeks. He was so close... and he smelled so good. She yanked her head back, pushing away from him and standing on her own, glass crushing under her shoes. Chat simply looked away, refusing to make eye contact with her, holding a large silver baton that he had apparently used to stop their fall.

Sugar and cookies, he was hot.

Between the silver staff and skin-tight black leather contrasting against his glowing, green eyes and golden hair that shimmered in the moonlight, he was definitely a beautiful man.

And she had just clung to him for longer than she needed too.

Who knows what he was thinking right now.

Her blush intensified and she opened her mouth to make some sort of excuse for her actions, when a bald, young man in a lab coat slammed open a door and raced around the corner.

"Agreste? Use a door like a normal human being!" Chat Noir glared at the man for a split second before letting out a bitter chuckle.

"You know I hate that name. Is the master here?"

The young man shook his head, exasperated. "Just because you call yourself Chat Noir doesn't make you a cat, nor does it excuse you for shattering our windows every time you visit." He looked up, irritation in his voice. "Yes, the master is indeed here, although why you need to see him so urgently I cannot understand." His eyes fell onto Marinette and he raised an eyebrow. "Who is this?" he asked, his voice softening.

"She's a friend. I believe the master has something for her."

The young man nodded and gave a short bow to Marinette. "My apologies, miss. I was too distracted by this alley cat to acknowledge you properly. I am Philip, the master's son."

Marinette smiled kindly at him. "I'm Marinette. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Philip nodded, the short introduction apparently satisfactory, and motioned for them to follow. "Master Fu is rather busy, but I'm sure he would be most intrigued to meet you. If anyone has what you need, it would be him."

Philip led the two deeper into the building, twisting and turning, almost losing them a time or two in the maze of halls and machinery.

What were they here for?

Marinette couldn't figure that out as they rounded yet another sharp turn that didn't seem possible on the winding path they took. Suddenly, as they rounded another turn, Philip stopped, standing off to the side and gesturing towards a curtain, draped from the ceiling, in the center of a large room. Chat shared a glance with her as they stepped forward, jumping as a sudden explosion burst from the curtain.

"Curse this stupid piece of junk!"

Philip chuckled, the moment they heard the elderly voice came from behind the curtain, and shook his head. With a sigh, Marinette let go of Chat Noir's fore-arm (which she had been desperately holding on to the entire time since arriving here), leaving a disappointed look on his face. She slapped his arm lightly, trying not to think about how easily she turned to him for protection when she was perfectly capable of protecting herself.

A short tiebettian man covered in ash stepped out from behind the curtain, his eyes gleaming as they landed on the pair.

"Chat Noir! Ah, and Ladybug."

Marinette arched a brow. Ladybug?

Chat opened his mouth as if to say something, but the man raised his hand, stopping him. "No need, Chat Noir. I believe I am aware as to why this young lady is here." He walked across the room, yanking another curtain out of the way, revealing a small, black box which had been placed upon a shelf all on it's own.

He took the box into his hands and held it out towards Marinette. "My dear, this is for you."

The ravenette raised an unsure brow. "What is it?"

"You could say it's a gift." Chat Noir smiled, gently pushing her forward.

Marinette stumbled slightly, glaring at him for a moment before she slowly took the small box from Master Fu's open palms. Gently, she inspected the box. It wasn't anything grand, simply a hexagonal shaped box with a weird, red mark on the top of it.

She turned to look over her shoulder at Chat, raising a confused brow at him.

He simply smiled and nodded for her to open it.

Slowly, she opened the box. A bright, red light emitted from the box and she squeezed her eyes shut, looking way before the light could blind her. But it only lasted for a second, and when she opened her eyes again, they quickly widened at the sight of a little, red bug floating right in front of her.

"Remember when I told you about Plagg? The talking cat I found in the alley?" Chat Noir asked from behind. "Well, he's what gave me my suit. And Tikki is what's going to give you yours."

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