"Anything else?"

"Your world-fashion interview, tomorrow, first thing," Nathalie informed. 

It was late afternoon at the familiar Agreste mansion. They arrived late at home, and as always, the owner of the said mansion was as busy as ever. And the mansion...as quiet as ever. 

"Fine," Gabriel walked towards his office. "Merci, Nathalie."

Nathalie stopped in her tracks, looking at the man in front of her with slight disbelief in her eyes. "Dinner?" she asked. "With your son, sir," she tried. She was not oblivious to how the thick walls in the mansion were. The man in front of her was still mourning and it saddens her to see the man completely disregarding his son. 

Even though she has been his assistant for so long, she only hoped that there would come a day when the father and son finally be a family again. 

Gabriel stopped in front of the doors, his hands behind his back. He didn't bother to look behind him to see the concern in his assistant's eyes. "No, I have work to do."

"He needs his father," Nathalie gripped her tablet.

"And I'd appreciate it if you minded your own business," Gabriel snapped, finally opening the doors and closing them behind him. 

Nathalie stood there for a moment, frowning worriedly where the man stood. Her eyes widened as she heard footsteps at the staircase and turned around, spotting Adrien walking towards his room. 

"I'm sorry, Adrien," she apologized sincerely. 

Adrien understood but knew it never gets better. "I know the drill," he softly sighed, walking to his room. Sitting in his large room under the moonlight is suffocating. Being locked most of his life under the four walls like a cage is frightening. Having almost no friends until he goes to school and meets Nino was something, but there is still that lingering feeling that he is alone. 

He had no one to talk to under these four walls. 

Adrien couldn't help but look at the picture on the table in front of the couch. 

Picking it up, his eyes softened to see his mother with his father and him on the frame. His father had his hair long above his shoulders and his smile was visible as he held him and his mother close. They were all smiling...they were a family. 

Adrien was so young in this picture but he remembered vividly that day. His mother wanted a family picture but his father was busy with something from work but she managed to convince him. After hours of finally getting the right picture his father approved of, his mother made it up to Adrien by going to the park afterwards. 

He doesn't remember her laughs anymore.

Stepping out of his room, he walked into the lonely and dark hallways. It was silent...as always. His father wouldn't even notice if he were to run away and make a living. His father doesn't even notice him at all. They haven't had a decent conversation in a long time. 

Stepping out of the mansion, his mind and body wandered off to the train station, plugging his earbuds into his ears and using music to block out everything around him. The last thing he knows, he's standing in front of the abandoned theatre. 

Doors are barred and covered in wood to keep anyone from getting inside. But Adrien knew that the owner of the theatre often forgets to lock the doors and entered. Walking towards backstage, his hand softly dragged against the dusty red curtain. He somehow felt the warmth from it, almost as if it had been used recently. 

Adrien closed his eyes, removing his earbuds, feeling bliss as he could hear the whistles and clapping from the other side of the curtain. Moving the curtains aside, he could see the bright light illuminating the petite blonde woman in white. She was young and beautiful, her smile vibrant and filled with love. In her hand carried a small bouquet of red roses. 

The woman waved to the crowd before turning to him. Her green eyes softened as she raised a hand for him. His eyes widened in awe and he walked towards her, raising a hand to grasp hers. But the moment he tried to grab her hand, everything disappeared. 

His heart dropped his stomach, realizing dreadfully that his mother was gone. Her smile, her warmth, her hugs, her kisses...she is gone. 

Looking at the ground, he picked up a stray flier. Right on the cover was his mother. With the same white dress and the same red bouquet in her hands...and the same smile. 

"Happy birthday, Mom," Adrien sadly sighed. 

🕸🕷🕸

Gabriel stood in front of Émelie's portrait in his office. The room was dark but the lights were on directly at her picture. He stood silently, knowing that he was making a mistake but he wouldn't regret it. It is for his family's sake. 

"I cannot keep this dark secret anymore," Gabriel frowned, looking down at the butterfly jewel in his hand. After so much research on the jewel, he recalled meeting the kwami for the first time in the dark catacombs. 

Flashback

Skeletons in every single corner he took steps when he walked down the stairs. The travel was long, quiet, and uneasy but he needed to know what the jewel was. He felt a strange and powerful power within and he had to know. 

Standing in front of the large stone doors. He could see a butterfly statue carved on top of the doors, confirming that he was in the right place. The torches on the side were lit, unnerving him as the place seemed like it hadn't been explored for years. Pushing the large doors open with difficulty, he was met with a cold breeze, giving him goosebumps beneath his white suit. 

"Give me the ultimate power..."

Gabriel gasped, seeing a long bridge in the dark room. And right at the center stood a box. He couldn't help but look down, his eyes narrowing at the deep void below. Even though this entire place unnerved him, he crossed that bridge. 

It felt long, the heels of his shoes echoed in the large room as he neared closer and closer to the box. He gulped, looking at it. It was small. Reaching his hands out to it, he clicked it open. 

"...so I can bring my wife back!"

He flinched back, raising his arms up to his face defensively as strong power overwhelmed him. His eyes widened and gasped in awe as a small purple creature flew high in the air and looked down at him. He's never seen anything like it. 

"Master," it spoke. "I cannot grant you this wish. Only the Ladybug and Chatnoir miraculous possess this power."

Gabriel gritted his teeth, clenching his fist on his side. "How do I find them?"

"They can only be summoned in times of chaos," Nooroo explained.

Flashback end.

Gabriel's gaze lingered on the jewel, "If chaos is the way, I will burn the world and lose myself in the flames to do so!" Taking the jewel, he attached it to his cravat. 

"Let darkness rise!" his eyes darkened. At that moment, he felt the power surging into him as he transformed. 

🕸🕷🕸

Fu snapped his eyes open, gasping in horror. A chill ran down his spine as he felt the familiar feeling in the air. The butterfly miraculous was back and he doesn't have a good feeling about it. 

"It's time," he muttered, turning to the side right at the phonograph and knowing they sensed it too. Standing up from the ground where he meditated, he slowly walked towards the phonograph. Pressing the code in, the phonograph opened to reveal the miracle box. He can see the bright pink and green glow from within.

"Okay, you two," he cautiously spoke. "I know you're awake! I am going to open the box, but I am warning you, no fighting! You must work together!" Opening the lid of the miracle box, he saw the two jewels inside. 

The earrings of the ladybug miraculous and the ring of the cat miraculous at the center. They both floated in the air for a moment, giving Fu hope that they would finally get along. But that moment vanished the moment the two jewels flew out of the building. 

"No! No!" Fu ran after them. 

🕸🕷🕸

Gwen stretched her arms high in the air, yawning as she walked beside Marinette. The school was finally over and she could already feel the stress coming from it. Meanwhile, Marinette walked beside her, softly apologizing to her. 

"I'm really sorry about today," Marinette sighed. "I always tend to get bad luck."

Gwen waved it off, "Don't worry about it. I get bad luck too." She subconsciously winced, knowing the true meaning of her words. With Peter...her dad...Especially considering the stunt she pulled with the blonde boy from earlier. Good lord.

Right now, she just wants to relieve the thought of having more stress. She turned to Marinette, grabbing her arm softly. "Hey, is it okay if I could take a walk? I'll meet you back at home."

Marinette smiled, nodding at her. "Yeah," she chuckled. "Go ahead."

"Cool," Gwen nodded, walking away from the girl. She just hoped that the girl could handle herself while she was gone. Boy, how wrong she was as the moment she passed through the crowd, Chloé called for Marinette. 

"Hey, Marinella!" Chloé's eyes darkened on the girl. Marinette flinched, looking to the side and seeing Chloé and Sabrina walking towards her. "Why don't I walk you home?" Chloé taunted.

"Gotta run," Marinette paled, running away. Grunting as she bumped into a boy with blue hair. The boy flinched back, looking at the girl worriedly but she didn't pay attention much to him as she ran away. 

"Sorry! Sorry!"

The boy's eyes lingered on her running form and watched as Chloé walked after her. "Friends don't run from friends who hate them!" she taunted.

Marinette kept running, her heart racing as she could feel Chloé following her. She yelped, moving away as a car drove past her. She almost crashed into a scooter but moved away. She yelped, bumping into a car but the driver managed to stop in time. She apologized once again and ran away. 

"I just wanna have a nice screaming exchange like two civilized teenagers!" she heard Chloé shout.

Running faster, she made a sharp turn and apologized to a couple as she shoved herself between them. Stopping at the crosswalk, her eyes widened to see an old man in the middle of the street. But that wasn't what worried her. It was the van that drove towards him. Everyone stood on the sides and gasped in horror. 

She doesn't know why she did it. Her body moved on its own. She ran to the street and tackled the old man away from the van. But just as she moved him away, another car was heading straight towards them. She positioned herself in front of the man and waited for the collision, but she felt a tap as the car stopped in time. 

The old man gasped beside her, relieved to see the young girl was all right. The people on the sides sighed and cheered in relief. Looking back at the young girl, he saw the ladybug miraculous fly into her bag. 

The ladybug miraculous chose this young girl...she is the chosen one. 

"Are you okay?" Marinette turned to him worriedly, relieved to see he had no visible bruises or scratches on him. 

"You risked your life to save me?" Fu's eyes widened. "Wait a second," he rushed forward, grabbing her hands desperately. "It is you! You! Come with me! Now! The world is in danger!"

Marinette blinked, flinching her head back as the old man neared closer to her. What did she get herself into? She removed her hands from his, "Okay, you seem fine."

"Marinella!" Chloé shoved herself through the crowd.

Marinette stood up, picked up the man from the ground, and ran away. Fu can only watch as she runs further and further away. "Hold on!" he calls. "Remember! Who saves a life saves the world!"

Marinette shuddered, running faster and faster. Accidentally bumped into a few people but she knew she needed to be far. "I have to get away from all these crazies!" she muttered under her breath.

Facing forward, she gasped in disbelief as the old man from before managed to catch up to her and stand in front of her. Where did he come from?!

"Don't be afraid!" Fu tried. "Or we will all die! You are the one!"

Marinette stopped, "The whole city's a looney bin!" Ignoring the man in front of her, she ran to the side and towards an alleyway. Hiding behind the stacked chairs, she crouched to the ground and waited. She crouched further down as she could hear Chloé not far from where she stood. 

"Oh, Marinella!" Chloé taunted. "Where art thou? Why are you so slow, Sabrina? You let her get away!"

"I was carrying both our bags!" Sabrina explained but Chloé huffed. 

"You only think about yourself! Find her!" Chloé shouted. 

Marinette used that time to find another hiding spot but yelped as she tripped over some crates, wincing as it hit her foot. Bouncing on one leg, she tried to soothe the pain and leaned against a red door. Her eyes widened, noticing Sabrina was staring right at her. 

Dropping her foot back to the ground, she clapped her hands closed and silently pleaded to the girl to not say anything. 

"Not here!" Sabrina calls, walking away. 

Marinette sighed in relief, leaning back on the door. She yelped as the door opened, making her fall back and enter the store. Can this day get any worse?

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien sat quietly in his room. After taking a long walk in the theatre, he knew that he needed to get home. Just as he did, there was no one there to welcome him...once again. So he decided to get his mind off of it by doing his homework. It was about history. 

Turning on the lamp, he started working on it on his desk and blankly looked at the book. He couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the funny blonde girl from earlier. He had the impression that she was intimidating, but he perhaps thought wrong. 

She is into rock music by the show performance she held, likes to read...books *cough* interesting books, and is insanely strong. But her eyes. They were dimmed...just like his. The eyes are the windows to the soul and he couldn't help but want to know what was inside of hers. 

Gwen.

That was her name. 

Adrien stopped, feeling a breeze behind him, and turned around. He frowned as the window opened. He could have sworn that he locked it earlier. Standing up from his chair, he slowly walked towards it, feeling the nice cold breeze under the full moon. 

Adrien flinched as he heard small rushing footsteps on the side but saw nothing. That was until he heard something clattering behind him. Looking back, he saw his trash bin moving. He frowned and walked back to his desk. Crouching down to the ground under his desk, his eyes widened as he saw a black cat hiding behind the trash bin. Its green eyes stared into his. 

Adrien chuckled, reaching a hand out to pet it but the cat hissed at him and ran away to the window. He frowned but stopped as he saw a green glow where the cat was. On the ground was a black ring with a paw insignia at the center. It was glowing green for some reason. 

Picking it up from the ground, he wore it.

🕸🕷🕸

Gwen sighed, tucking her hands in her pockets. It was late afternoon and she could feel the soft glow of the full moon on her form. To think that she is in Paris is still hard to comprehend. She couldn't help but chuckle, remembering how MJ would have envisioned how they were going to live in Paris, get the most gorgeous clothes, and find the perfect guy. 

It felt so long...

Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she frowned at the piles of notifications in her icons. She knew that she could reply back to everyone's worried calls and texts but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. 

She just needed time. 

Gwen knew she could count on her friends when she needed them...but...not right now.

Peter is gone...because of her. Her father is going after her–well, was. Who knows what he's doing now? She sighed, putting her phone back in her pocket. Looking back down at the bracelets on both of her wrists, she couldn't help but glare at them sadly. 

She knew that she should throw them away. She's not a hero...she's a criminal. She shouldn't wear these bracelets the Janet Van Dyne made for her to change into her costume. The woman was right to not trust her. Gwen is young. She never should have been a hero in the first place.

But why? Why can't she bring herself to take them off? Why can't she bring herself to toss them to the ocean and never see them again?

"Ghost-Spider is amazing!"

Gwen gasped, her eyes widening as a scrawny brown-haired boy with crooked glasses appeared in front of her. His green eyes beamed with happiness and his smile was wide in excitement as he stared at the screen of the TV station. It was winter but it didn't bother him as he watched enviously at the TV.

"To think that someone is so strong and has the power to change and save lives. She's so cool! I wish I could be just like her! What do you think, Gwennie?" Peter turned to her with a grin on his face.

Gwen shuddered, wiping away the stray warm tear from falling. She sadly chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. Shaking her head, she sniffed. "I'm so sorry, Pete." She sighed, walking past the tourists in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral but stopped as her senses flared. 

Her eyes widened, turning around as she heard a loud growl from inside the cathedral. The people around heard too and screamed, running away from the sound. Her eyes narrowed on the building. 

"...Okay..."

She looked around, seeing no one to there. Looking back down at her bracelets, she knew that if she goes and investigates...there's no going back. Her heart raced and banged on her chest like a drum. She can feel her blood rushing through her veins just like the moment she gained her powers. 

Gritting her teeth, a flash of Peter dying in her arms appeared in her mind. Clenching her fists on the side, she turned away and stood quietly. 

"...What should I do...? Peter?" she whimpered. 

Hearing the growl again, her body moved on its own. "J.A.N.E.T. mask," she ordered as she walked towards the cathedral. 

"Copy," J.A.N.E.T. spoke from her headband. Her suit materialized from her bracelets and to her entire form. 

A/N: From Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 😏

She can feel the blood rushing rapidly through her veins as she can feel the weight suddenly being pushed to her shoulders once more. But this is her badge...and she will wear it. 

"Just check it out and be quick," she muttered to herself.

Jumping high onto the building, she crawled on the walls to find an entrance. She could have gone through the front door but she needed the element of surprise. And besides, she can pick a lock. 

Climbing higher and higher on the large cathedral, she stood in front of the stained glass window. She couldn't help but admire the art put into the windows but shook it off, knowing that she doesn't have time to look. 

Peeking through the window, she couldn't see anything. Raising a gloved hand to where her headband was, she goes to scan the heat signatures inside the building but stopped as her senses flared behind her. 

Narrowing her eyes, she turned her body around and threw a fist at the culprit. They yelped and caught her fist but yowled in pain. Ghost blinked, seeing a boy in what appears to be a cat costume behind her. She didn't even hear him sneaking up on her. His green eyes were vibrant and cat-like. 

Her eye twitched, looking down at his costume. Wait, that is his costume? He even has a little bell on his neck. 

"Bonjour," he smirked at her. 

Once again, Ghost's eye twitched. "Are you a hero?" Ghost asked instead.

He once again grinned at her, "One and only." He neared closer to her and held her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently. "The name's Chatnoir."

"Chatnoir," Ghost deadpanned but knew to never underestimate a person's abilities. She must be getting in his way so she should go home. She's sure the cat hero can deal with what's inside.

"And who might be the mysterious dame in front of me be?" Chat leaned close to her face but grunted as Ghost pushed his face away. 

"Ghost-Spider. Just Ghost-Spider," she crossed her arms as she snatched her hand back. "Well, it seems that you look like you got everything here, I'll just get going–"

Ghost stopped, her eyes bulging widely as a red figure was flying right towards them. She goes to jump away but Chat grasped her wrist, unaware of the red figure. "Wait, are you a hero too–" he asked.

Crash!

The red figure screamed, crashing into them and crashing through the stained glass. Unfortunately, they were now hanging by the red figure's strong string inside the cathedral. Ghost groaned, dangling between Chat and the girl behind her. Can this day get any worse?

Just kill her now. 

"Where am I?" the girl groaned, blinking herself awake. Looking around, her eyes widened in horror as she was hung upside down. She shrieked loudly, making Ghost wince beside her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ghost spoke. "Cut it out!" she hissed. 

Ghost deadpanned as she heard Chat clear his throat in front of her. Turning her head back, she saw as he now stared at her and the girl behind her. "Bonjour," he mused. 

The three stiffened as the string slowly detached itself from the ceiling before definitely detaching from the ceiling, causing the three to fall to the ground. Ghost pushed herself away from them and landed on her feet in her crouched position. Chat also landed on his feet too. But the red girl, however, crashed onto the ground. 

The girl groaned, sitting up. Ghost grimaced, seeing the girl barely standing to her feet. Is she a hero too?

Looking around, Ghost narrowed her eyes at the dark cathedral. Since she's already there, she might as well take a look around. These two should be capable of dealing with a problem, right?

"What do you think you're doing?" Chat's voice echoed around. 

Ghost frowned, turning around but figured he was speaking to the girl behind her so she kept looking. 

"I'm..." the girl groaned. 

"This is a dangerous place for young ladies," Chat stated, making Ghost's eye twitch. 

"Oh yeah, and what does that make you?" Ghost deadpanned. 

The girl also agreed to her words, scowling at the boy from earlier. "Excuse me, I'm no damsel in distress. Who even are you?" She turned to Ghost too, wanting to know who she was.

"Name's Chatnoir..."

"Do I know you?" the girl asked, looking around to find him. 

"Ghost-Spider," Ghost introduced herself to the girl. "And you?"

Before the girl could speak, Chat answered the girl's question instead. "I'm the new hero in town. Here....to save the world!"

Ghost and Ladybug scoffed. "With what? Furballs?" Ladybug taunted. 

Chat wasn't affected by the supposed insult and instead walked towards them, crossing his arms as he addressed Ladybug first, "What are you supposed to be? A watermelon?"

Ladybug's jaw dropped in disbelief, "Excuse me?"

Chat turned to Ghost, looking at her closely. Her costume doesn't even come close to what they're wearing. He can't even see her face. Is she even a hero? "What about you? Are you supposed to be a hero too?"

Ghost darkly chuckled, crossing her arms. "And are you supposed to be a stripper?"

Chat's jaw dropped in disbelief at the insult, "I'm a cat!"

"Then why are you dressed like one?" Ghost looked down at his suit. "You probably have a stripping pole with you, don't you?"

Chat scowled, walking away to think up an insult for her. "Whatever, sidekicks."

"Sidekicks," Ghost deadpanned, turning away to look for the growling. "You sure are confident."

Ladybug scowled too. She just met these two, and she can't exactly put into words how to describe them but the boy for sure is getting annoying. "I'm here to save the world..." she accidentally threw her yo-yo in the air, causing it to fall back down and hit her head. "...too."

Chat chuckled in amusement, sitting on top of a statue "I can see that." He dropped down and started walking around, "Coming in here all loud and messy." He swung his arms in the air almost knocking down a vase if Ladybug didn't rush in to grab it in time. "Giving away your every move." He leaned on the candle holder, successfully knocking it over, causing it to land on the ground with a loud clang. 

Ladybug grimaced at the sound and looked at Chat in disbelief. "So much for the element of surprise!" she hissed. 

Chat smirked, looking behind him at her. "Ever heard of a decoy?"

"Smart," Ghost rolled her eyes. "But stupid if you think we will be the decoys."

Ladybug frowned, stepping over the candle holder and warily looking around. "I don't understand what's happening. This is all wrong."

"Yeah, how about we actually start looking for it before breaking the entire cathedral," Ghost muttered. "It's not like we have the money to repair everything." She walked away. 

Chat watched her walk off and shrugged. Looking down at the rails in front of him, he dragged his claw on it and smirked, "All you have to do is follow my lead...sidekick!"

"I'm not a side–" Ladybug stopped as she heard a deep growling echo in the cathedral. She stiffened, looking around but couldn't find where it was coming from. "...Ghost?" she whispered, looking around more but paled as she couldn't find her anywhere. 

"Shh!" Chat shushed her. "Don't move," he whispered and they both waited. They could hear a snarl behind them but when they turned around, nothing was there, making them both wary at the situation. 

"Do you have a plan?" Ladybug whispered to him. 

Chat smirked, "A plan?" He chuckled, "Do I have a plan? I have more than a plan!"

Ladybug grinned, relieved to know that they were going to be able to solve this. 

"I have....nine lives!" Chat waved his arms exaggeratingly, making Ladybug deadpan at him. 

Yup, they're toast. 

Chat smirked, glad to have at least one of the girls' attention. Jumping high in the air, he landed above her. "The devastating power of destruction!"

Ladybug just stared at him incredulously. What is wrong with this guy?

Chat cupped his eyes like goggles, looking side to side. "Night vision!" He rushed to her side and grinned, "Razor-sharp senses! Rawr!" he purred, taking a few steps back. "Nothing can sneak up on me!"

He smirked confidently, unaware of the gargoyle towering over him. Chat grinned more, seeing Ghost walking back towards them and staring at him. "So it seems the sidekick couldn't find it either, huh?"

Ghost chuckled, "Oh, I found it." She crossed her arms, leaning on Ladybug's side as she watched in amusement as Chat pulled out his staff, extended it, and flung it back, suddenly getting it stuck in the gargoyle's nose. 

"...What do you know? You do have a stripper pole," Ghost chuckled.

"Run!" Chat screamed, running past them. Ghost and Ladybug stood as Gargoyle ran after Chat, crashing into the chairs. Ghost yawned, looking down at Ladybug. "He looks like he got it covered."

"Um..." Ladybug frowned, looking at the situation in disbelief. 

Chat jumped high up in the cathedral and lured the gargoyle to him, grinning as he stood in front of the pipe organ. "I've got this, sidekicks!" he shouted, looking back. He moved away just in time for the gargoyle to crash into the instrument, clattering loudly.

"And the winner is...Chatnoir!" Chat sang victoriously, throwing his arm in the air. 

He looked back and grunted as the gargoyle flew right at him, crashing him to the ground. The impact was heavy as dust filled the ground, making Ladybug wince and Ghost-Spider laugh at his misfortune. 

Gargoyle spread its wings and flew in the air, dragging Chat with it. "Sidekicks!" he shouted, holding onto the beast's ears. "What are you doing back there?! Help me! It's my first time!"

Ghost's and Ladybug's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" they exclaimed. 

Ghost facepalmed, hard. "You've got to be kidding me," she groaned. She looked back at Ladybug, unsure of how everything would go. Are they both newbies? Oh lord...

"Um," Ghost started. "I'll handle the gargoyle. Try to get the stripper out of the way." With that, she flung her wrist on the side and webbed herself toward the beast. 

Ladybug's eyes widened in awe, seeing how the girl expertly swung in the air with no problems. How does she do that? Looking back down at her yo-yo, she whimpered as her weapon started to float once again and drag her in the air towards the chaos. 

Ghost spider-webbed the beast's back, grunting as it flew straight out the window and dragging her with it. She can feel the shards landing on her suit but was more annoyed at the fact that she would be dealing with this herself. 

She knew it wasn't a good idea. But NoOoO...the cat had to speak. 

Ghost gripped her web and pulled herself closer to the gargoyle, clenching her fist. "Going down!" she announced, punching the gargoyle's jaw hard to the ground. 

Chat yelped, holding onto the gargoyle's ears tightly as they crashed to the ground. He groaned, shaking his head out of the dizziness. 

Landing beside him, Ghost started webbing the gargoyle's wings to restrain it while Ladybug jumped out of the broken window and landed in front of them, successfully landing on her feet this time. 

It was then that Ghost noticed an audience in front of them, making her pale. If the people know Ghost-Spider is in Paris, nothing good is going to happen to the media...or her dad!

Ghost cursed, looking back down at the gargoyle. "Shit..."

"Is that a watermelon?" one of the crowd asked, making Chat laugh. "Told you!" he called out to Ladybug but yelped as the gargoyle decided to fly once more, dragging him, Ghost, and Ladybug with it.  

"For a so-called cat...you don't seem to land on your feet!" Ladybug shouted, gripping her yo-yo tightly. 

Gargoyle flew around the top of the cathedral, purposefully crashing into the bells to get rid of them to no success. Ghost groaned, sticking her feet on the gargoyle's back, and webbed the beast's wings to take control. 

"Okay, okay," she panted, gripping her webbing steadily. "Just like Green Goblin. But don't fuck it up this time," she muttered. 

Chat snapped his head at her and looked at her wrists, looking at her in disbelief to see spider webs coming out of her wrists. 

"Are spider webs seriously coming out of you?" Chat's eyes widened in awe. 

"I would explain the rigidity flexibility ratio, which I don't wanna," Ghost grunts, pulling harshly on one of the wings, causing Gargoyle to make a sharp left. 

"So you, like, make your own web fluid in your body?" Chat turned to her interestingly while the poor hero struggled. 

"Not the time!" Ghost pulled on the wing once more before it crashed into a building. 

"I mean..." Chat looked down at his hands. "I can't transform into a cat, and I'm curious as to how your web situations work, that's all," he tried, dodging his head as Ghost directed the gargoyle toward the water. "That's weird," he chuckled.

Ghost's eye twitched, "I wish I could tell you," she sassed. "But it's, like, I don't do it. Like I don't...Like I don't do breathing. Like, breathing just happens!" she yelped, directing the gargoyle to fly above the incoming bridge and pass a boat. Unfortunately, the gargoyle dragged water with it, drenching a guy on the boat. 

"Bon appétit!" Chat shouted at the people below. 

Behind them, Ladybug gripped her yo-yo but yelped as it detached from Gargoyle, causing her to fall on the train tracks. 

Ghost looked back, her eyes widening as an idea came to mind, and snapped her head at the boy beside her. "Hey! When does the train come by?" she shouted through the rushing air. 

"Yeah, let me just grab my phone and let you know," Chat rolled his eyes. "Of course I don't have a pho–" He stopped as his staff binged, making him look down at his weapon. His eyes widened as a screen showed on the side of his staff. "Oh, I do," he grinned. 

"CAT!" Ghost shouted, pulling Gargoyle and making it turn around towards Ladybug. 

"Right!" Chat yelped, flinching at her tone of voice and looking it up. "About seven minutes from now?"

"That's too long," Ghost muttered, frowning at what to do, and pulled Gargoyle away from the train tracks. But Chat had other ideas as he grinned, stood up, and held onto her waist to not fall. "I got this, sidekick," he mused, standing behind her and using her arms like a steering wheel. 

What Ghost didn't expect was for Chat to drag Gargoyle back towards the traintrack and to a subway. She yelped as Gargoyle flew right through and landed in front of the waiting people inside. 

Ghost jumped off of Gargoyle along with Chat, looking at the beast incredulously. Ghost snapped her head at Chat, flinging her arms in the air. "Are you insane?!" she hissed, now pointing at the people. "Are you trying to kill them?!"

Chat panted, leaning on his knees and smirking at the unconscious gargoyle. "Gotcha! See?" he turned to Ghost. "Who's the hero now? That's two for Chatnoir...and zero for Gargoyle!"

"I'm going to kick your ass," She narrowed her eyes at him. She looked back to where Ladybug must be and turned to Chat. "Go and find the girl. I'll deal with this."

"No, you go find her," Chat frowned as they started quarreling, unaware Gargoyle waking up. It wasn't until they heard screams did they turned to see Gargoyle going after the people. 

Ghost immediately ran forward, webbing a bench, and flung it at Gargoyle's back to get its attention. "Hey! Over here!" she taunted, making Gargoyle snap its head at her and snarl at her. 

It tried to fly to intimidate her but howled in pain as it collided with the lights, causing it to get electrified. Ghost used that chance to look at the remaining people in the subway, seeing a mother and a son still staring in disbelief. 

"Go! Get out of here!" she shouted. The mom finally snapped out of it, grabbing her son's wrist and dragging him out of the subway. 

The lights flickered off as Gargoyle landed heavily on the rails. Chat and Ghost stood quietly, watching the beast wearily as it stood up. Gargoyle snarled, turning to them. 

Chat pulled out his staff, "Stay!" He showed his staff to the beast, successfully getting its attention like a dog. Gargoyle waited in anticipation as Chat waved his staff around. "Fetch!" he shouted as he pretended to throw his staff behind the beast. 

Gargoyled turned around to get it but stopped, realizing he was being treated like a pet, and growled at them once more. Chat's eyes widened at his mistake and turned around, running away. "I take it back! Don't fetch! Don't fetch!"

Ghost's eyes widened as Gargoyle started running after them. She immediately started webbing herself towards the exit, passing by the boy. She ignored his calls and headed for the exit. 

🕸🕷🕸

Ladybug heard Chat's screams from the train tracks and started heading over to try and help. She yelped as the rushing train almost crashed her but moved aside. Grabbing her yo-yo, she looked back at the train, seeing as a plan started to form together in her mind. Throwing her yo-yo at the door hatch, she grinned as it wrapped around the handle and dragged her along. 

"Okay...Just like Ghost-Spider," she muttered as she flew high in the air. Looking back down, she threw her yo-yo on the rails and started swinging herself towards the others. However, just as she swung below the train bridge, she almost crashed into some people. 

"Excuse me! Watch out!" she shouted, making the people move aside quickly. Her eyes widened as she recognized one of the cars in her way, spotting her parents inside. "Watch out!" she tugged on her yo-yo, making her pull herself above the car. "I'm so gonna be late for dinner," she panted, detaching her yo-yo from the rails and running on the street. Throwing her yo-yo once more, she swung herself up to the train tracks.

🕸🕷🕸

Ghost's eyes widened in relief as she saw the bright light of the train heading towards them. Looking back, her eyes widened as Chat ran right behind her but fell on the tracks. 

Looking behind him, dread filled his chest as his belt accidentally got stuck on the tracks and started to pull. 

"Chat!" Ghost screamed, rushing forward to help him. Crouching beside him, she started tugging on his belt, annoyed that it chose a time like this to get stuck. Looking back, Gargoyle was getting closer and closer to them and the train was not any different. 

Her heart raced against her chest, making her look down at the boy before her. Gritting her teeth, she gripped his belt and screamed as she harshly ripped it out of the tracks and kicked him away. The train was close to reaching her when Ladybug successfully tackled her to the side. 

The pair rolled on the tracks as a loud crash sounded behind them. Purple smoke filled the air where Gargoyle once stood. Both girls panted, flopping on the ground with exhaustion. 

Ghost sighed, raising her hands in the air to see them, and looked back at the girl beside her. "Thanks."

Ladybug tiredly smiled at her too, "No problem."

Both girls groaned, sitting up from the ground and looking around, spotting Chat not far from them on the ground too. Standing up fully, they both started walking towards him. 

An irk mark grew on Ghost's temple and she repeatedly, and softly, kicked him awake. He groaned, blinking himself awake, and looked up at them. However, his gaze lingered on Ghost's form. 

She was going to sacrifice herself for him. Even though he was a pain in her ass, she was still willing to jump in front of the train for him. Just who is this girl?

Ghost proudly patted Ladybug's back, grinning widely at the girl. "Not bad for sidekicks, huh?" 

Ladybug chuckled, wincing at Ghost's hard pats. But Ladybug actually looked at Ghost in awe and grabbed her wrists, flipping them over and not seeing any jewel like hers or Chat's. "So does your webbing just come out of your wrists, or...does it come out of anywhere else?" she blinked up at her. 

Ghost deadpanned. "I'm not an alien." She stiffened, hearing the familiar police sirens coming closer. She cursed, realizing what was going to happen if they realized she was there. 

Ladybug and Chat crouched beside her, hiding from the police. Ladybug turned to them and whispered. "Quick! Let's go!" 

The two nodded as they started leaving the scene. Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo and started swinging herself away, glad to know that she was doing it somewhat right. Ghost and Chat followed right after her after Chat discovered that he could extend his staff to jump away. 

Just as they landed on the park a sudden chill filled the air, making the three look up at the sky. Their eyes widened in confusion as thunder rumbled, showing a strange purple mark of a mask in the sky before it disappeared. 

"What was that?" the three asked simultaneously. 

"An akuma..."

The three stiffened, turning around in alert. They all frowned as an old man stood in a trenchcoat and glasses to hide his identity. Ghost's eyes narrowed on him. Where did he come from?

"Hold on," Ladybug frowned. "Who's there?"

Chat chuckled, "Now, who the heck is this guy?"

"Before you wonder who I am," the old man spoke. "You must discover who you are."

The three blinked, looking at the man oddly. Ghost turned to them confused, "Do you guys know him?" She turned back to the old man, blinking as he was now staring at her. 

"Your power," his eyes widened as he walked towards her. "You're different...but how?"

Ghost moved away from him and looked at him warily. 

"Well, it's not hard," Ladybug looked at Chat and looked away. "He's insane," she chuckled, crossing her arms. 

Chat smirked, turning to the girls. "Well, I still think you look like a watermelon."

"Will you stop?!" Ladybug snapped at him but it only amused Chat. 

"Watermelon!" he taunted her, getting Ghost annoyed as she stood between them. She would think that the girl would just ignore him but instead, she just accused him back.

"Insane!"

"Watermelon!"

"Insane!"

"Watermelon!"

"Insane!"

"Watermelon!"

"Stop!" the old man snapped, making them stop. Ghost sighed, facepalming at the pair. "You, Ladybug, hold the power of creation," the old man informed. 

Ladybug shook her head at Chat, "Watermelon."

"While you, Chatnoir, hold the power of destruction," the old man informed too. 

Chat looked down at his hands, awe filling his eyes. "Cool..."

"And Ghost-Spider," Fu spoke. "Are now the bridge that holds them together," he clapped his hands together once. 

Ghost deadpanned, "That's fucked up. But how do you know this stu–" she stiffened, realizing that the old man spoke her hero name and looked down at him. Her eyes narrowed on him, clenching her fists on the side. 

He knows her. Does he think she is a friend...or a foe?

Chat didn't notice her dilemma and turned to the old man. "Yeah, how do you know this stuff?"

"You must defeat Hawkmoth," Fu informed. "For he is the one transforming all this hate and anger into these horrible creatures."

"Hawk-who?" Ladybug frowned in confusion.

"Stop them and capture their akumas."

Ghost frowned. Akumas. What is that? "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Beside her, Chat playfully wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, easy. I got this covered."

This time, Ghost scoffed loudly at the boy beside her. She looked at him incredulously. "Oh yeah, just like how you handled Gargoyle earlier."

"I had it under control," Chat shrugged, smirking at her. "...Webhead."

"Stripper," she glared.

"No!" Fu shouted, getting their attention again. "Stronger together!" 

Ghost deadpanned at this, "No offense, they're great," she pointed at the pair beside her. "But this is a one-time thing for me, okay? I'm out. I'm sure that they can work well together."

And not bring her into any more messes before the media finds out that she's in Paris. 

"No," Fu interjected, walking towards her and grabbing her wrist tightly. "You are experienced. You know what darkness is like. I've seen you," he spoke, making Ladybug and Chatnoir confused and Ghost nervous. "You're strong. They can learn from you. Please help them."

Ghost shook her head but Fu turned to the others to give her a point. "It's the only way to reach the perfect balance of heart and mind, or you will not defeat Hawkmoth."

With that, Fu let her hand go and walked away. Ghost sighed, looking down at her hand while Chat rushed over to the tree and look around. The man was gone like the wind. 

"I did not sign up for this," Ladybug sighed. 

"You're telling me," Ghost shook her head and turned to the pair. "You guys are great. I'm sure that with practice, you'll be great heroes and I'll hopefully never see you guys again," she clapped gleefully and pointed elsewhere. "I'm just gonna go."

"Wait," Chat ran towards her and stood in front of her, stopping her from going anywhere. "Come on. You seem to know much more about this hero stuff and it was fun. What's not to like? Come on, where's your spirit?"

"New Mexico," Ghost deadpanned, walking past him. 

Chat nodded, smirking at her walking figure. "I understand...you're afraid."

Ghost stopped, her eyes widening at his tone. 

But that's the thing that she wouldn't want to admit. Of course she's afraid. The last time she became a "hero", it costed her best friend's life. It costed her father's job, her relationship with him and her friends. 

These two know absolutely nothing about being heroes. They just started today. They wouldn't know what sacrifices they will have to make or the challenges they have to face if they take on this badge. So no. 

She didn't like his tone. 

"Failure is not your enemy," Chat turned to both girls. "Your fears are."

Ghost's eyes softened, looking down at the ground for a moment before turning back at the pair. She's unsure if she should stay with these two. But then again, she doesn't want to risk them dying if she wasn't around. 

"So, just be my sidekicks and you'll be safe!" Chat grinned, throwing both hands out to the girls to shake. 

She takes it back. They could die for all she cares. 

Ghost groaned, rolling her eyes as she swung herself away. Ladybug sighed, slapping his hand away. "I can't stand this guy another minute," she growled under her breath. 

Throwing her yo-yo, she goes to swing away but grunts as she crashed into a tree before finally successfully swinging away. Chat stood alone in the park. He smiled, feeling excitement filling his chest. Looking back to where Ghost-Spider left, he couldn't help but be excited of the near future. 

He chuckled, looking back down at his ring. "Heroes in Paris? I like the sound of that."

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Next Episode: The Mime & The Magician L&C Pt.5 ♥

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry the short late update. Guess who got their first job?...and hates it 😐 Barely entered and I'm already physically exhausted, not only that, the customers got me sick too 😭😷 My throat is killing me.

So that means that because I start a job, I will be updating when I can.

That also means that I will most likely be updating every 7-8 days instead of 10. Wish me luck 🍀

Published: December 17, 2023

Word Count: 7788