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wolfhowls · 3 years ago

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Purple Noir Week

This Fanfic is part of @purplenoir-week (see their tumblr for details).

Day 2 - Swap

Shortcutter

Summary

When Ladybug asks Purple Tigress to take her place during a patrol (because Marinette is busy preparing a birthday party for Adrien), Juleka discovers by accident the identity of her feline companion, and not only. She finds out how hurt Chat Noir is that Ladybug keeps him in the dark. So, even thanks to the Miraculous lifting her confidence, Juleka decides to help him, like he did when she needed support (Guiltrip). But things aren't as easy as they look…

Miraculous: tales of Ladybug e Chat Noir - Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, SAMG Animation, De Agostini Editore, Nelvana, Cartoon Network Studios All rights are reserved to their owners.

With a yawn, Juleka walks off the Liberty gangway and heads off to school. She didn't sleep well at all the previous night, continuing to mull over Chat Noir, Adrien, Ladybug and Marinette. Even as she walks towards the Collège Françoise Dupont, she keeps thinking about it.

“If Adrien is really in love with Ladybug, Marinette has no hope. It would be so sad. Already breaking up with Luka was traumatic for her, just imagine if they hadn't broken up by mutual agreement. On the other hand, Ladybug doesn't seem to care about Chat in THAT sense, and it's Adrien who is upset... so I could push him towards Marinette! Yesterday I saw that he kept looking towards her house, and at the picnic we had on Heroes' Day, he spoke so highly of her. Or maybe ... "Juleka can't hold back a smile. "Maybe I've been hanging out with Alya a little too much ... I'm starting to ship them too."

Absorbed by these thoughts, Juleka passes in front of Tom & Sabine's Patisserie and is almost knocked out by a storming Marinette, who rushes out the door with a croissant in her mouth and an apple in her hand. Juleka watches, bum on the ground, as her classmate stops at the pedestrian traffic light and waits for green, continuing to run on the spot.

With half a smile, Juleka approaches Marinette and waves at her. When the pigtailed girl sees her she swallows her brioche and exclaims, “Hi Juleka! Are you also late? That's unusual!"

"Hi, Marinette, we're not late!" replies Juleka, frowning as she takes her cell phone and shows it to her friend.

Marinette suddenly freezes, burying her head in her shoulders. "Phiew ... I must have seen time wrong ... we're not late. Well, makes a change, I can look for the best place to sit in the art room! Today Pierre Rocheux will come to the school to show us his work the statue commissioned by the Collège!"

The traffic light turns green and Marinette runs across the street, heading towards the school gate. "See you later, Juleka!" she says. Then, going up the stairs, she looks at Tikki in her small pochette and whispers, “I really hope that one of the models will be Adrien…”

Juleka stands still, watching Marinette, then shakes her head and follows her. The girl is about to pass the gate of the building when she sees the Agreste's sedan leave, after having let Adrien out, her gaze following the blond as he crosses the sidewalk to enter the school.

Before climbing the stairs, Juleka nods to Adrien, and he responds with a smile as he gets closer to her and greets her with a warm, "Good morning!" Then, he looks at the school gate just in time to see Marinette disappearing behind it and adds, a puzzled look on his face, “Did I just see Marinette? Wow, she's on time for once, what happened?"

Juleka responds to the greeting with a shy “Hi”, then muffles a giggle at Adrien's remark about Marinette. “It's the sculptor's event today,” she explains, taking a look around. Eventually, she looks at Adrien and asks, “Do you have a couple of minutes? I would like to talk to you."

"Uh ... yeah, okay! Of ... of what?" says Adrien, his hand reaching the usual spot behind his nape. The girl doesn't answer and goes up the stairs, moving to a corner of the courtyard. Adrien can only follow her, a bit wary of the way she's looking left and right as if to ensure that no prying eyes would be spying on them. "I hope she won'ìt say that Ladybug is mad at me ..." he thinks as he gulps dryly.

"Adrien, maybe it's none of my business but .. I know you feel bad about…her…always rejecting you. I think maybe you should ... Well, look around, you're a—" Juleka pauses, blushing slightly and lowering her voice "...handsome boy and…"

Adrien interrupts her "...and a superhero, which messes things up with the love apparently…or at least did so with Kagami, everything went wrong with her because of that. "

"It's already difficult as it is... if he interrupts me it gets even worse...what do I do? Do I throw the bomb and run?" thinks Juleka. Then she looks at him, takes a breath and starts again, "Let me finish, please..." Her gaze softens a little as he raises a hand to his nape apologetically. "Why don't you try to, for example, change targets?"

Adrien looks at her, making a face. "Kagami told me the same and she ..." he starts, but Juleka puts a finger on his lips and shushes him.

"There's a difference here, Adrien. I may recognize that you're a handsome boy, and I may want to help you because I'm your friend, but I won't throw myself in the mix because, no offense, but you're not my type."

What she says causes Adrien to blush deep red. The boy's gaze is lost for a moment, then goes back to looking at Juleka. "Ok, you're probably right, sorry Juleka. But where do I find someone like Ladybug?" He seems lost in his thoughts for a moment and then he continues, stretching a finger up for every count on the list: "She must be cute, intelligent, brave, always ready to help others, sweet..."

As he carries on with his list, Juleka smiles softly and holds his gaze. "Come on, Adrien. I'm positive that there are lots of girls who are cute, brave, altruistic and sweet, right? For example…what about Marinette?You were the one who told her that she was our 'Everyday Ladybug' at the picnic we had on Heroes' Day! Besides, she's been so down since she broke up with my brother…"

Adrien widens his eyes for a split second, then says in a low whisper, "Uh, well, she's…well she's very pretty, all right. But I always seem to embarrass her, maybe because I'm famous? Maybe because of my father? You know, when Jagged, uh, your dad, showed my pictures on her wall, the day he did that program at her house, I mean, I asked her if...and she said she sees me as a friend." Adrien pauses. "And then...Don't tell anyone but some time ago she told me she was in love with Chat noir-me. I was very surprised, I didn't think Chat Noir was her type!"

Juleka gasps. "What? And silly me wanted to provide him with a bombshell revelation…"

The blond, again looking blankly in front of him, doesn't seem to notice her reaction and continues, "Then I explained to her that, well,, I love Ladybug, and his father was akumatized!" He cringed. "You have no idea how scary Tom Dupain is when he gets angry!"

“I'm not surprised…” mumbles Juleka.

“After that, I spoke to Marinette and she told me that she understood and that she could get over it and when I told her I, Chat Noir-me I mean, wanted to stay friends with her, she agreed to it," concludes Adrien, glancing nervously at his cell phone.

“Well, if her declaration of love to Chat Noir surprised you, if you thought that Chat wasn't her type while instead she told him that she loved him, don't you think it could be the same with Adrien-you too?" insists Juleka, thinking, "If Marinette finds out that I'm saying this to him she'll kill me stone dead..."

Adrien rubs one of his feet against his ankle, nervously. "Seriously, I don't think she likes me...and she's always, um, tense when I talk to her."

“Maybe she's just a little intimidated by how perfect you are? Sorry if I say so, Adrien, but sometimes you're a little too…Mr Perfect. You should learn to let yourself go a little!"

He stretched the hand he carries his umbrella with towards Marinette. She tentatively takes it from him, a little hesitant. The fingers of the two teens touch and Adrien for a moment has a strange sensation, not at all unpleasant. Marinette grabs the umbrella's handle and it closes on her head. A moment of hesitation later, Adrien bursts out laughing, immediately imitated by Marinette herself.

Adrien blinks a couple of times, back to the present, and again reaches with his hand to his nape. “N-no problem, Juleka .. They already told me that. Do you think I should…"

Plagg peeps out from inside Adrien's shirt. "Kitten! Don't even consider the idea of flirting openly with her like you do with Ladybug, or Pigtails will combust for embarrassment!"

"Shush, Plagg, and stay hidden!" snaps Adrien, turning as red as a tomato.

Juleka chuckles, covering her mouth with one hand. “Seriously, Adrien. If you don't try, you will never know. When Ladybug gave me the Tiger Miraculous, you have no idea how scared I was of not making it, but I did!"

"Juleka, you do know Marinette better than me..." says Adrien tentatively, looking for the right words. "Do you think she might have a crush on me?"

Juleka cringed. "Uh! N-no, well, I d-don't really know…" J

At that, Plagg rolls his eyes. "Polite reminder that you're late for school now," he says sarcastically. "Kitten, you don't want to keep your fans waiting!"

“Stop it, Plagg. And hide, I already told you. But you're right, we will be late if we don't go!" Adrien cuts short, walking towards the staircase leading to the inner courtyard.

Adrien and Juleka enter the art room just before the bell rang and take a deep sigh of relief, as even though there were no regular classes that day, the Headmaster gives them a dirty look.

Marinette turns to the door, immediately giving her attention back to Alya, as soon as she realizes that Adrien is waving at her.

When everyone has taken their seats, Principal Damocles clears his throat, takes a microphone and begins to speak, “Dear students! As you know, the Mayor has decided to donate a statue to our school that will symbolize the act of teaching. The work has been commissioned to the famous sculptor Pierre Rocheux, who decided that he will take as models two of our students, a boy and a girl. In the past few days, we have asked your parents for permission to send your class photos to the artist, who has already made an initial selection of candidates. The legal formalities have already been taken care of, so today we will be informed of who the two lucky models for the statue will be. Rocheux's work will be exhibited in our internal courtyard at completion." The man pauses for effect and points to a figure next to him. "But it's time to let the artist speak."

A middle-aged, grizzled, medium-sized man comes forward. He has a head of gray, neatly combed hair that reaches his shoulders, and a gray beard, accurately groomed and equally long, tied from halfway on in two parallel braids.

He takes the microphone and after having politely greeted the students and the teachers gathered around him, he begins, “Today I'll choose the two models for my work, as Mr Damocles has very kindly explained. I already have some ideas, but I much rather make my mind by seeing the models in person rather than just basing myself on a photograph."

He turns towards the center of the classroom, towards two platforms; one is empty and one contains a rectangular-shaped object, covered by a cloth. The sculptor reaches out and removes the cloth, revealing a block of white marble and solemnly explains,“This is the raw material. I brought it with me because marble is not all the same, as Michelangelo rightly said, every block hides a sculpture inside of it and the duty of the artist isn't to forge the work of art, but rather to reveal what is already hidden in the block. Now I leave the microphone to Professor Damocles, who will explain much more eloquently than me the whole process."

As the headmaster picks up the microphone and pulls an envelope out of his jacket's pocket, Adrien hears Chloé giggle and whisper something to Sabrina.

Mr Damocles opens the envelope and clears his throat again. “Mr. Rocheux indicated the following students as possible candidates for the role.

Boy: Adrien Agreste, Michel Bernard, Marc Enciel. Girls: Chloé Bourgeois, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Colette Gauthier. Those whom I called, please come forward."

All eyes fall on Chloé and Marinette, in the front row of the classroom, while the other two boys, he taller than Adrien, faded sweatshirt and black jeans, short black hair, gray eyes and a regular face and the girl of Alya-like build, long brown hair and dark eyes, black miniskirt and beige blouse, step forward from the fourth row.

Marinette hears her name and gasps, forgetting to breathe. “Oh my God, what now? It's impossible that the scuptor chose me. Plain ole me…with Adrien? Oh my God! Now what do I do? I'm not wearing my lucky socks! It's going to be a disaster! He will choose me and Adrien, I will fall on him, breaking that beautiful nose of his, his father will take him out of school, he will hate me for the rest of his life and we'll never have a house, three children and a hamster named..."

"Marinette!" calls Alya, nudging her in the ribs. “Close that mouth of yours, girl, or you'll catch the flies! And don'ìt stand here like a dummy, go! They're waiting for you!" She points at the group of teenagers already gathered next to the artist and the headmaster. The pigtailed girl gets up and with a tight smile walks away from Alya, who whispers, "Smile more naturally, it looks as if you have a stroke, Mari!"

"Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous," protests Chloé, as expected. "I don't want to share the choice with these two peasants. ESPECIALLY Dupain-Cheng. I don't even know who the other one is after all…" she says, making a dismissive gesture with her hand.

The Headmaster approaches her. "Miss Bourgeois, the choice has not yet been made, it could be you or any of the other two girls the one to represent ..."

But Chloé interrupts him, hissing a grumpy, "Tsk! Wait for me to let my daddykins know that you put me in competitions with tww peasants! Daddy's the mayor, he's paying for this. He obviously would withdraw the donation if I wasn't chosen." Then, ignoring the headmaster, she approaches the sculptor, pointing her index finger straight at his face. “And you, Mr. Pierrot or whatever your name is, choose well. Which means you only have one choice. Moi. And Adrikins."

Hearing that nickname Adrien stiffens, and Marinette gives Chloé a fierce glare.

The sculptor shrugs and doesn't even bother to answer to her. "Could you guys please get in line here?" he asks, pointing at the empty platform.

The aspiring models line up next to each other, looking all a little nervous. Well, all except Adrien, whoìs perfectly still and at ease, and Chloé, who insead looks grumpy, humphing haughtily with her arms folded across her chest, a finger tapping rhythmically on her other arm, in sync with her right foot tapping the floor.

Rocheux reviews the boys, his gaze shifting between their faces and the block of marble, then he asks, "You two, girls, would you mind untying your hair?"

Marinette doesn't mind taking off the rubber bands and letting her black hair fall over her shoulders. As she does that, Adrien's gaze reaches for Juleka who points to Marinette with a slight nod of her head. The boy turns mechanically where the girl is pointing at, ending up completely unprepared to the vision coming to his eyes as his gaze locks into Marinette's. He gulps awkwardly, thinking, "she looks so beautiful with her hair down!"

But he doesn't have the time to check on his feelings, because Chloé starts protesting and raising her voice. "Of course I'm not going to do that. Do you even realize how much it cost me to have my hair styled this way? I won't destroy a perfect hairstyle for a stupid statue. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Just wait for Daddykins to know about all this. He won't be happy at all!” Then, in a fit of rage, she leaves her place in the queue and walks to Sabrina, stretching her hand in front of her. "What are you waiting for you idiot? Give me my phone!" Then she grabs the other girl by the arm and haughtily walks out of the classroom.

Juleka, Alya, Nino, Adrien and Marinette follow her with their gazes, having the dread feeling in the pit of their stomach that soon they'll have to face another akumatized victim.

"Hmm," mumbles the sculptor, again observing the boys for a long moment. He simulates a kind of rectangle with his hands, framing the marble and the boys one by one; then he approaches the block and knocks on the surface with a wooden hammer.

The only one who doesn't seem to mind is Adrien,while the others are obviously very nervous and nearly hold heir breaths.

After a time that seems interminable Rocheux declares "I found the features hidden in the raw material of this block." He turns to the audience briefly, and then to the models. "You," he says and points to Adrien, who nods. "And you", the sculptor continues, pointing to Marinette, who feels her knees getting weak and risk fainting, promptly supported by Adrien just next to her.

As soon as the boy's hands touch her sides, Marinette regains her balance and blushes violently. "S-sorry, it's just…it's hot here," she mumbles, fanning herself.

Juleka takes Rose's hand next to her and squeezes it, while with the other she raises her thumb up towards Adrien, who looks a little baffled but doesn't complain.

After dismissing the other aspiring models with a handshake, Rocheux introduces himself to the two chosen ones and begins to explain how he will proceed.

Immediately a buzz of chatter arises from Marinette and Adrien's classmates, until the Headmaster silences them with a cough.

"Okay. What are your names…oh yes. Adrien and Marinette. Get on the platform, please," urges the sculptor, placing a wooden cube to one side. Adrien goes up first and stretches out his hand to Marinette. She takes it without thinking too much of it and the boy, as she climbs, bends over and touches her fingers with his lips, causing an "ooh" from Rose and a couple of other girls. Marinette blushes violently and stands still for a moment, then removes her hand as if it were burnt.

Rocheux makes the two try various poses, taking pictures with an old Polaroid camera and observing them critically. Adrien follows the instructions to the letter, as he's used to do that during photoshoots, while Marinette is more clumsy, as well as not being able to look Adrien in the eye and feeling quite warm in the face each time he approaches her, so much so that at a certain point she starts to fan herself again with both her hands. "Did they turn up the heating?" she mumbles to herself. Adrien stares at her and whispers “No, Marinette, the temperature hasn't changed at all. Are you alright? You look a little flustered!"

She cringed at the remark. “G-great! Never been better! " she screeches, her voice a couple of octaves higher than it should have been.

The other students look at the two curiously for a while, but eventually they lose interest and the classroom empties slowly, leaving only the sculptor with Adrien, Marinette and their classmates.

Suddenly Rocheux approaches the two models, frozen in a pose, and blurts out “Here's what's wrong! Too many clothes! Adrien, take off your shirt, Marinette, your blazer. And take off any jewels too. They ruin the symmetry of your couple!"

Adrien and Marinette look at each other, blushing violently. "What?" they ask at the same time.

The sculptor glares at them. "Come on, you've heard me. We don't have all day!"

"Well, he's not that bad," thinks Adrien as he obediently takes his white shirt off. "He's no different from Vincent or Giuseppe. Marinette seems very nervous, though… maybe I can try to say something to take her mind away from it." As he thinks that, he looks softly at his friend and leans closer to her, whispering into her ear, "Look on the bright side, Marinette. At least you won't feel too warm anymore!"

But Marinette blushes a deeper shade of red. "Yes, but..." she starts to say, then she bites her lower lip and looks at Alya, who's now standing next to her, stretching her hands towards her expectantly. A gleam of comprehension flashes in Marinette's eyes, and the girl takes off her blazer and purse, handling them to her friend with trembling hands. Then she sighs and, looking straight into Alya's eyes, she removes her earrings and places them carefully in Alya's palm. She only relaxes when her friend mouths back at her something that sounds like, "Don't worry!" and winks at her.

Just as Adrien was scratching his head and starting to wonder what would Marinette have to worry about leaving her earrings in Alya's hands, Juleka approaches him and grabs his arm, glancing very seriously at his ring. The two exchange a nod of understanding, and the boy gives her the shirt he had already taken off. Then he slips his ring solemnly from his finger and entrusts that to her too.

When they return to the platform, the two teens try again the pose that the sculptor had requested last, but Rocheux is still dissatisfied. “Oh dear, that's what it is! It's these stripy lines.It won't work, I can't concentrate on my creation. Adrien, take your t-shirt off."

The boy obeys without thinking too much about it but as he reveals his naked torso, he hears Marinette swallow hard next to him.

"Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare" she repeats into her head like a mantra, but eventually gives up. "Gah! Too late!" she thinks with a sigh as her gaze locks to Adrien's bare chest for a long moment, her face feeling hotter and hotter, until she nearly jumps out of her skin when the sculptor addresses her instead,

"Can you do the same please? Those flowery decorations are very distracting too," the man asks.

Marinette looks at him, then she gives a quick glance at Adrien's face. The boy is in full model mode and features an indecipherable poker face that Marinette feels to envy with all her heart. “Get a grip, Marinette! You saw even more than this that day at the pool, and you weren't even half as embarrassed as this. What's the difference? And besides, I'm just a friend to him! " she thinks, as she grabs the hem of her top with one hand, while the other holds the vest she's wearing underneath to not flash too much skin unnecessarily. So she takes her top off, tossing it on the floor. Adrien's expression falters when he catches a glimpse of Marinette's bare belly and navel, and suddenly the boy starts getting very distracted by the freckles that the girl has on her shoulders. "Come on, Adrien, what's happening to you? You've seen her already in her pajamas and bathing suit, this isn't that different after all!" he thinks, but he can't prevent a pink blush to dust his cheeks and the ridge of his nose.

Satisfied, Rocheux tells Marinette, who's by now at the edge of self combustion, to sit down on the cube. He hands her a box, telling her to give it to Adrien, and telling Adrien to kneel on one knee in front of her with his arm outstretched. They are about to try a different pose when the sculptor puts down the camera and takes his cell phone from his pocket, muttering an apology and gettin out of the classroom.

Adrien and Marinette exchange an embarrassed look and Adrien tries to relieve the tension again. "He looked happier now," he says, pointing to the door behind which the sculptor seemed to be having a heated conversation on the phone. "You'll see, we'll be finished soon." Then he looks down at his bare chest, his hand running to his nape. "Uh, I'm used to it, it's nothing new to me. You, on the other hand, are doing very well for being your first time!" he says, in an attempt to reassure her.

"Ah y-yes you're fin—er, I mean, it's fin—I mean, thank you Adrien! But I'm not good at all," she replies, stumbling over her words

"That's definitely not true, you're very good!" he retorts, winking at her playfully. “To be completely honest with you, I've never had so much fun in one of my father's photoshoots. You're creating the mood, Marinette. You're fantastic!"

What saves Marinette from a heart attack (because her heart is threatening to explode in her chest as her gaze gets lost in his beautiful green eyes), is the commotion that comes from outside.

Suddenly the door swings open, literally torn from its hinges, and before anyone can react, a figure enters the room. It has the same hairstyle as Rocheux but wears a purple leather apron, has a beret and holds a chisel “You. Don't waste my time! I'm Shortcutter, and I'm in a hurry! Hold on still, you are perfect like this! " he orders Marinette and Adrien, then points the chisel in his hand towards them, hitting them with a beam of light.

"Marinette, watch out!" Adrien acts instinctively and rushes towards his classmate to take her out of the beam's trajectory, but he doesn't have his superpowers to protect him, so they both end up hit. With a dull thud, a bas-relief featuring the two teens wrapped in a tight hug falls to the ground.

Juleka throws herself on the ground as soon as she sees the door open and, taking advantage of the hustle and bustle, drags herself on her elbows and all fours, managing to slip into the bathroom adjacent to the art room. A black dot immediately reaches her, as Plagg appears in front of her, panic in his electric green eyes. "Bangs, I have a feline you'll have to change…feline…" he exclaims, pointing to Adrien's ring, which she holds in her hand.

Juleka looks at it, looks at Plagg, then puts the ring on. "Okay, Plagg." She shoots him a determined glance. "But don't ever call me Bangs again, okay?" she hisses, but immediately after smiles at the Kwami "Come on, tell me what to do. And be quick, Ladybug will need our help!"

Plagg gives her a sideways glare, then explains the basics to her. Juleka whispers, "I can do it!" and then says louder, "Plagg, Claws out!"

Alya swears between her teeth. "Damn Chloé, why is she ALWAYS the one to be involved?"

She drags Nino with her and manages to hide both behind a screen just in time. From the classroom come screams and a series of thuds. Peering from under the cloth, the two see that the classroom is now full of bas-reliefs of running students.

Alone in the now empty classroom, Shortcutter shouts, “So, where do I find Miss Bourgeois? I want to make her life easier, I'll give her a PERMANENT hairstyle!” Then he turns to look around. He stops outside for a moment, then re-enters the room, heading towards Nino and Alya's hiding place. "Gotcha!" he exclaims, throwing a beam towards the floor.

Alya closes her eyes and crouches defensively on the ground, thinking, "Here, it's the end!" But as she thinks that, she realizes that actually, she can move. She opens her eyes again just to see to her horror that a bas-relief portraying Nino stands now in the space between her and the door. The rest of the classroom is deserted.

“Now you will deal with Scarabella,” she growls. “I won't allow you to petrify my friends! And especially not Nino, he's my boyfriend!" Trixx peeks out of her pouch but stays put, while Tikki gets out of Marinette's bag and joins them.

"Tikki, Spots on!" whisper the brunette.

+++

Part 1 | Part 3

#miraculous ladybug #ml #chat noir #purple tigress #adrien agreste #juleka couffaine #fandom event #purplenoirweek2022 #mlb s4 spoilers

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theriveroflight · 3 years ago

Text

walking in the night

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: T

Wordcount: 1140

Relationship: Platonic Juleka & Adrien

Notes: Happy @purplenoir-week!! Day 1: Patrol. This one features Season 4 spoilers, specifically with regards to Kuro Neko. A little bit unorthodox, but hey, all identities are included.

Content warning: Juleka and Adrien (as heroes) prevent a sexual assault. The assault is indirectly referenced, but that is what happened.

Read on AO3

“Who are you?” Juleka asks. He doesn’t smile — he doesn’t act like the friend he wants to be. Of course she knows something’s wrong — she’s always been perceptive. “What happened to Chat Noir?”

She’s defensive — but who wouldn’t be? She doesn’t know the truth. She doesn’t know the intricacies of everything that’s been going on.

“Don’t worry about it, Purple Tigress,” he answers. He doesn’t say anything else. But perhaps he shouldn’t tell someone with anxiety to quit worrying. “If all goes well, this is not a permanent arrangement.”

Her eyes linger over him, taking in the costume, the look, the facade he’s put on.

He wonders if she sees underneath it.

“Where is he?” she asks, quieter this time. “I’m sure you’re aware.”

He shrugs. “My kwami won’t speak of his identity.” That much is, at the very least, based on truth. Plagg doesn’t need to speak of Chat Noir’s identity, because he is perfectly aware of who Chat Noir was. “I am quite aware of the hero Chat Noir was. I may only hope to emulate him.”

But the point of the charade is that he doesn’t emulate Chat. That he isn’t Chat, that he’s different.

“What should I call you?” Juleka asks. Good. Progress. She is acknowledging the difference.

“Catwalker,” he responds. It is a lie, but hero names have never been true.

He has always been a liar.

Juleka’s eyes narrow, but she says nothing.

“We should get started,” he says. Consummate professional — that’s who Catwalker is.

“Right. Patrol.”

Juleka is…technically the senior member. It feels weird to think of it like this, but he is the one that’s supposed to be new to this.

He takes out his baton, pressing the pawprint in the center of it to extend it in length. He pretends to be surprised when it does exactly as advertised, and forces the tremble in his hands as he prepares to swing.

Juleka has already taken off, using the bolas of the Tiger Miraculous to swing across the rooftops.

He follows carefully, trying not to appear overly at ease with the baton — while still not being clumsy. Characteristic of a newbie, but indicative of someone trying.

Besides, vaulting was always intuitive to him.

This time of day there are many people out and about. The point of their patrols are to try and prevent akumatizations — this can involve things like stopping muggings sometimes, but sometimes it’s just…making sure Chloe doesn’t get akumatized again, making sure the pigeons aren’t disturbed. The anti-akuma charms help, but they aren’t perfect.

He’s perfectly aware of what’s going on.

“Hey!” Juleka yells as he watches her descend into an alley. “Back off!”

Oh no.

He launches into the alleyway behind her. Juleka is standing between an attacker — an older man, he would estimate the man is somewhere in his thirties — and a young woman, who looks twenty at most. She twirls her bolas in one hand, while holding her claws out with the other.

“Go,” he says. He flexes his hand as though he’s about to Cataclysm the attacker. “Leave this place.”

The attacker looks between the two of them. “I’m not going to listen to a couple of teenagers—”

Juleka punches the attacker in the face.

He allows himself just the slightest self-satisfied smirk. The next step is to comfort the victim, make sure everything is okay, ask if she wants to press charges…

“Thank you,” the woman says. She’s shaking, her clothing is torn…

“What would you like us to do?” he asks. She would probably be more comfortable with Juleka, but he will stay until asked to leave. The reasons the victim might be uncomfortable are twofold — his gender, and the fact that he is not Chat Noir.

“Can you take me to my place?” she asks with a trembling voice. Juleka’s expression is soft. He can afford no such thing — kindness is, of course, important, but composure is his priority.

“Of course,” Juleka says. “Would you like to be on my back, or…?”

“Sure,” she says. “Let me…”

“Take as much time as you would like,” he says. Old habits die hard.

When she is ready, she climbs onto Juleka’s back, whispering directions to her. He follows closely, making sure no one follows the two of them besides him.

His baton starts to ring before they reach the woman’s place of residence. He stops to pick up the phone.

“Catwalker,” Ladybug says on the other end, “I couldn’t reach Purple Tigress, so…”

He was the next best thing.

Of course. He was the next best thing after Chat, too.

“What’s wrong, Ladybug?” he asks.

As he said at the beginning — he was there to take care of her.

“Viperion and I are at the rendezvous,” she says. “I was just…concerned about the two of you running behind.”

“There’s no cause for concern,” he responds. “Purple Tigress and I are comforting the victim of an attempted assault. She’s helping the victim return to her apartment. I am attempting to make sure the two are not followed.”

“Of course.” Ladybug’s voice is softer now — it was just the right thing to say to her. None of them have any tolerance for assault or abuse. “Either you or her should call when you’re heading to the rendezvous. Ladybug out.” There’s a beep before the call ends, and he continues.

“Please don’t feel as if you are without support,” he hears Purple Tigress say. It’s the typical victim procedure. “If you wish to pursue legal action, you have support. We have contacts, of course.”

Right. Of course. Rose’s mother is a lawyer. Ladybug’s plan is always to ask her.

“I…no, not for just an attempt. He didn’t even really touch anything,” the victim responds. “I plan on calling one of my friends over. We’ll watch some bad romcoms and not worry about it.”

Purple Tigress nods. That’s another part of the training — don’t try to force victims to do anything, they will not be responsive to it. “I hope you feel better, then.”

The window closes, and Purple Tigress turns. “How long have you been listening?” she asks, crossing her arms.

“Not long. One of us should call Ladybug — we missed the rendezvous.” He taps his foot. Juleka frowns and calls Ladybug.

“Yes, we’re on our way,” she says. “We’ll see you soon. Bye, Ladybug.” By the end of the conversation, she has a slight smile on her face. It fades when she looks at him.

(It hurts. But he can’t tell her the truth — he hasn’t told anyone the truth. She is one of his closest friends. The trust involved in that is not enough.)

“Let’s go, Catwalker,” she says. The shape of his name is foreign in her mouth. But it is not his name.

He follows her to the rendezvous.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #ml spoilers #adrien agreste #juleka couffaine #catwalker #purple tigress #purplenoirweek2022

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coffeebanana · 3 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Juleka Couffaine Characters: Juleka Couffaine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Additional Tags: Friendship, Post-Julerose Break-Up, but they get back together, I Literally Already Posted The Sequel Where Julerose Gets Engaged, Good Friend Adrien Agreste, POV Juleka Couffaine, Mentioned Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Aged-Up Character(s), Light Angst, no beta we die like not me because i just got my booster shot go get vaccinated y'all, Purple Noir Week (Miraculous Ladybug)

----- Summary: Juleka would really just like to be alone to sulk about the potential end of her relationship with Rose...But a certain ridiculous blond showed up with soup, and doesn't seem willing to leave. And ok, maybe she doesn't really want Adrien to go either.

Written for @purplenoir-week, Day 6 (Family/Siblings)

#miraculous ladybug #ml #juleka couffaine #adrien agreste #friendship #purplenoirweek2022 #this fic is 100% self-indulgent #as it should be #juleka and adrien are best bros #change my mind #lol you can't #so glad i managed to write something for this event!

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miraculousff · 2 years ago

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Purple Noir Week

This Fanfic is part of @purplenoir-week (see their tumblr for details).

Day 3 - Claws

Morricat

Summary

Miraculous: tales of Ladybug e Chat Noir - Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, SAMG Animation, De Agostini Editore, Nelvana, Cartoon Network Studios All rights are reserved to their owners.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #chat noir #purple tigress #adrien agreste #juleka couffaine #fandom event #purplenoirweek2022 #mlb s4 spoilers

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rileyclaw · 3 years ago

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@purplenoir-week day 4: purr. look up tigers chuffing for free serotonin it is a Very fun sound

#this was a speedrun in 30 minutes before my class began #gestures wildly at them they are family your honor #purplenoir week 2022 #purplenoirweek2022 #purplenoir #juleka coffaine #chat noir #purple tigress #tigress pourpre #adrien agreste #miraculous ladybug #my art #ml #fanart #comic

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iva-yoluhei · 3 years ago

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Purplenoirweek2022: Dia 2 - Swap

Ladybug vai ficar irritada 😹 @purplenoir-week

#purplenoirweek2022 #chat noir #purple tigress #adrien agreste #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #juleka couffaine #fanart

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purplenoir-week · 3 years ago

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[ID: A mint green banner with a claw scratch and text reading "Purple Noir Week January 31-February 6 2022 Prompt Poll" in a black to purple-pink gradient. Purple Tigress and Chat Noir are on opposite sides of the banner. /end ID.]

Welcome to Purple Noir Week, a week celebrating the platonic/familial relationship between Juleka Couffaine | Purple Tigress & Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir!

Please check out our rules before filling out the poll.

The poll can be found here, and will be up until December 21st!

#miraculous ladybug #ml #adrien agreste #juleka couffaine #chat noir #purple tigress #tigresse pourpre #fandom events #prompt poll #purplenoirweek2022

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wolfhowls · 3 years ago

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Purple Noir Week Fanfic

This Fanfic is part of @purplenoir-week (see their tumblr for details).

Note: I decided to write my contribute as a multi-part story. I plan to publish the parts daily ;)

Day 1 - Patrol

“Helping Claws”

Summary

Miraculous: tales of Ladybug e Chat Noir - Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, SAMG Animation, De Agostini Editore, Nelvana, Cartoon Network Studios All rights are reserved to their owners.

"Ladybug? Why are you here? An Akuma? ”Juleka can't believe her eyes when Ladybug appears out the porthole of the cabin she shares with Luka in her mom’s house boat.

"Hi, Juleka...no, no .. don’t worry!" says Ladybug, hesitating a bit before continuing.

"No Akuma but...I have to ask you a favor...I, well…I forgot a very important…thing to do and...Ok...you would patrol with Chat Noir in my place?"

Waiting for the response from her friend, who has remained motionless, she thinks, “I can't tell her that I'm preparing a surprise party for Adrien! Itìs been a miracle that Nino hasn't already spilled the beans! "

Juleka opens her eyes wide and whispers, “Me? But I..."

“Please, you're the only one I can ask!" Ladybug pleads, slipping into the small opening. "No, sorry, I can't tell you more...and I only have twenty minutes!" she continues, as she takes the Tiger's Miraculous from the yoyo.

Juleka looks at the bracelet, then moves her gaze to the heroine in red, who shifts her weight nervously from foot to foot, “O-ok. What should I do?" she asks.

"A simple patrol to check that everything is okay. You know, things like… that there are no signs of Akuma or of someone about to have an emotional breakdown, those things that Papillon... er Papillombre is looking for. Maybe help the Parisians, like, saving a kitten in a tree, the usual “hero” things, Chat Noir knows what needs to be done," Ladybug replies, handing her the bracelet. “Roarr knows where to meet Chat and how to get there. I'll come and get the Miraculous as soon as you come back here. " Then she hugs Juleka, letting her go immediately when she feels her getting stiff. “Thank you, Juleka. I owe you a favor!”

"Oh, I almost forgot," says Ladybug before slipping into the porthole of the cabin. "Chat Noir makes jokes...well you know how his jokes are, sometimes they're a little facepalm-worthy, and almost always at the wrong possible time. But... try to laugh even if they're not funny, because otherwise he gets upset."

Watching Ladybug running away, Juleka thinks, “Sometimes she reminds me of someone...but I can't figure out who!” Then, she shrugs and puts on the bracelet and rings. Roarr immediately appears at her side and the girl is told where and when to meet with Chat Noir for patrol.

+++

Purple Tigress arrives at the location at least ten minutes early, and takes advantage of those minutes to familiarize herself with her superpowers, still quite new to her. She starts jumping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving behind momentarily her agreed meeting place with Chat Noir and jumping onto nearby buildings;

"Maybe I went a little too far," she thinks, recognizing her location, as one of the buildings around the garden near Marinette's house, near the statue dedicated to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

As she takes a run-up to get back to the rendezvous place the girl sees, out of the corner of her eye, a boy sitting heavily on one of the benches near the statue. He looked roughly her build and had a very recognizable head of blonde hair, which he slumps down, almost defeatedly. The blond rests his elbows on his knees and brings his hands to his temples, his shoulders slumped forward.

Purple Tigress freezes. "Adrien?" she mutters to herself. "He seems pretty upset too...what could've happened to him?" she thinks, undecided on what to do as she crouches behind a chimney, looking down at Adrien. "Maybe I should talk to him. When I was down, he helped me...."

While she ponders, Adrien gets up from the bench and looks at the statue with a melancholic expression, then he goes towards the exit of the park. From the rooftops, Purple Tigress follows him with her gaze as he crosses the street and scans his surroundings.

Intrigued, the girl continues to follow him from above, until she sees him enter a narrow alley between two buildings.

Purple Tigress grimaces and frowns. "But where..." she whispers, sharpening her gaze on the place the boy had disappeared. If she wasn't mistaken, it was a dead end alley. What was Adrien doing there?. "Should I check it out?" she wonders. As she thinks that, she sees a green glow from the place she was keeping an eye on. suddenly, she sees a metallic glare from the narrow space between the roofs of the two buildings, followed by an unmistakable black silhouette jumping on the building to the right, moving away to the north.

She drops down on her stomach to avoid being seen and bringing one hand up to cover her mouth. "Oh dear! Adrien is CHAT NOIR?" she thinks, "No, it can't be...But what else could he have been doing, in that alley." Purple Tigress circumspectly lifts her head from the hiding place, finding her way clear.

The girl jumps into the alley she had seen Adrien get in (but never get out, as himself at least). "No one," she mutters, "Then there's no doubt. Now what do I do? I can't tell anyone, but...If he's really in love with Ladybug and Marinette finds out, it will break her heart, she's already so stressed..." She shakes her head and takes a deep breath "Ladybug said to watch out for emotional breakdowns....I need to avoid having one right now. And even Adrien looked so upset." Purple Tigress clenches her fists and mutters "I better get to the meeting place, and do it fast."

+++

Chat Noir is sitting on the edge of the usual rooftop he meets Ladybug at for patrol. The sun has just dropped below the horizon and a warm orange light fills the Parisian sky.

"Will she be late again today? Even she forgets all about me, every time?" mutters Chat Noir, searching the horizon for any sign of Ladybug.

"I did think it strange that I was useful to someone," he thinks with a sigh and almost without realizing it, he begins to hum a nursery rhyme, the same one his mother used to sing to him but with a few changes he'd made himself "Little kitty on a roof...all alone without his Lady."

As silent as the feline she is inspired by, Purple Tigresse approaches the ridge of the roof and with a small jump stops right behind Chat Noir. Listening to him sing, she thinks "What a sad song! I really have to do something, I've never seen him like this."

The boy suddenly stops singing, as his fake cat ears move following the noise of her approach behind him. "Hi, Buginette," he greets, without even looking.

"H-hi, Chat Noir!" The sound of her voice makes him turn sharply, just to find himself in front of Purple Tigress, who greets him hesitantly, by raising a hand.

Chat Noir stands up quickly, and assumes a defensive pose. "Purple Tigress? What are you doing here? Where's Ladybug? Did something happen to her?" he asks, immediately concerned about his companion and approaching the newcomer.

"Ah...Don't worry, Chat Noir, she's fine...She told me she forgot about something important...and she didn't want to leave you on patrol alone," replies the girl, raising her hands in front of her.

"Sorry..." says Chat Noir, his gaze dropping as he mutters almost inaudibly to himself, "It's just that...sometimes I get to think…" Then he clears his throat and adds a little louder, "Forget it. I don't count for anything anyway. I'm just the court clown...She didn't even warn me. Well, I shouldn't be surprised, it's nothing new after all..." Then he looks at Purple Tigress, his lips stretched in a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "So, let's start all over again!" He stands up, bows theatrically and greets her, "Meow, er...cousin.. Shall we start patrolling?"

"Are you sure everything's okay, Chat Noir?" asks Purple Tigress, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes! Everything's purr-fectly fine, it's meow-er gone better!" exclaims the other, flashing another of his perfect model smiles, confirming Juleka's deduction. "Only Adrien smiles like that," she thinks.

Chat Noir pulls the stick from behind his back "Hey, shall we do a race? Let's see who wins, the cat or the tiger? Penalty for whoever finishes last!" he exclaims, using the stick to launch himself across the street.

Tiger Purple watches him dashaway, still a little stunned, then calls out to him, "Hey, wait for me! I hadn't even started yet!" After which, snarling through her teeth, she takes a running start and jumps onto the opposite roof, landing crouched on all fours. "And in addition to that, I didn't accept the challenge!" she exclaims with a snarl.

The two continue jumping from rooftop to rooftop until, a few blocks away, within sight of Notre Dame, Chat Noir suddenly stops on a small terrace surrounded by a low railing, near the Seine.

"Weren't we supposed to go on patrol? What's going on, Chat Noir?" asks Purple Tigress, when she catches up with him a couple of seconds later. She looks around to see why the other one, who now has his back to her, had stopped so suddenly.

"Well Tiger..." he begins, watching the city lights start to come on. "Maybe it's not all fine, but whether it's fine or not, nobody cares. So okay, I’m fine," he finally says, leaning his elbows on the railing, facing the opposite side of the Cathedral.

Purple Tigress sighs, walks over and rests her elbows on the railing as well, looking out at the view and watching Chat Noir out of the corner of her eye.

"We're not the soul of the party, are we?" comments Chat Noir, with a half smile. "But I bet you're a good listener."

"Hm." The girl nods, looking first at the view in front of her and then finally shifting her gaze to Chat Noir, just in time to notice that the hint of a smile has faded. "Man, I need to say something to him," she thinks and then asks, "W-would you like to talk about it?"

Continuing to look in front of him, Chat Noir mutters, sarcastically, "I wonder what Ladybug's very important engagement was. What could be more important than patrol, I mean."

The boy bites his lip. Then, avoiding Purple Tigress's gaze, he continues, "Or did she send you here to keep an eye on me and make sure I do what I'm told, like Fath—uh, everyone else does?"

The boy pauses, extending his elbows and clenching his fists on the metal of the railing.

"See, you all want me to do some things, or be a certain way."

Purple Tigress looks at him, puzzled. "Uh...I'm sorry." The girl remains indecisive for a moment about what to do, then rests a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder. "I c-can understand you, I feel that way sometimes too."

"Sorry," mutters the boy, looking first at the hand and then at Purple Tigress's face.

He pauses and sighs. "I don't want to bore you with my problems..."

The girl shakes her head, lightly squeezing his shoulder "Listen, Chat Noir. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I had a friend help me once when...I was afraid I'd ruined everything with someone I cared about. Just talking about it made me feel better and realize I hadn't made a mess. If you don't feel like talking about it, I understand. After all, you don't know me." She takes her hand off his shoulder, a little embarrassed, and adds in a low voice, "But I do."

Chat Noir keeps thinking for a few moments. He sighs, his gaze lost in front of him. "I'm sorry, Tiger, I didn't mean to be rude to you. It's just...I feel left out. She doesn't need me anymore and then...."

Watching his melancholic gaze becomes sad, and then worried, Purple Tigress puts both hands on his shoulders and forces him to turn , to face her.

"Don't talk nonsense!" she says a little louder. "She would never do that! She loves you and needs you, Adrien!"

Chat Noir gasps, staring into the girl's yellow eye."Wait! Wait, wait…Tiger! What did you just say?" he asks, shrugging her hands from his shoulder to get away from her.

Purple Tigress lowers her gaze, letting Chat Noir go, but immediately after she takes a deep breath and looks up again, fixing her gaze in the boy’s eyes.

"You heard right, I called you Adrien," she says in a low tone, but decisively, and takes a step forward. "You helped me when I was down because of Rose, and I'd really like to return the favor; that's what friends are there for!"

Chat Noir pales, then covers his mouth with one hand and then drops his arms down his sides "I helped you...But I...Rose? Oh my God, you're Juleka! How...how did you figure out that..." she whispers.

She nods. "I saw you earlier. At the park. Sorry, I didn't mean to pry, it's just...I've never seen you looking so upset, so I followed you; I thought you might fall victim to Papillombre," mutters the girl, looking at her feet.

"Purr-fect, here’s the icing on the cake," whispers Chat Noir between his teeth. "Alright, listen..." He takes Purple Tigress's hands between his own, making her gasp. Then, he looks at her with puppy eyes. "Please, Juleka...don't say anything to Ladybug!" he pleads. "She doesn't trust me, she would take back my Miraculous and then..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Purple Tigress interrupts him again. "She wouldn't do that!"

"How do you know?" blurts Chat Noir dropping his friend's hands.

"Well it's obvious! Whenever you are late during a mission she always worries about you. And even earlier, when she asked me to patrol with you, she spent a lot of time telling me how to behave with you" Sh stares at him, raising an eyebrow. "And then, I think it's very clear from the way she looks at you," she adds, almost talking to herself.

Chat Noir whispers, "If you say so." His hand goes behind the nape of his neck, the typical way Adrien vents his nervousness.

But the girl doesn't lower her gaze and asks, in a serious tone, "Do you want to tell me what's wrong? I'm your friend, Adrien, I really want to help you!"

Since Chat Noir doesn't answer, Purple Tigress tries to test the water "Is it because of Ladybug?"

"Yeah...I try to..." the boy replies, then looks away, seeming to stare at a rooftop across the street. "I try to leave her alone and respect her wishes, since she keeps rejecting me," he continues, after a pause, "but the more I try the less I can, and now I'm starting to get afraid that she doesn't even want me as a friend anymore. I can see that she's keeping me at bait for some reason!"

"Oh, I see. But...I don't think she's doing it on purpose. I'm sure that she loves you, really!"

"Maybe she does, I don't know, but she certainly doesn't show it," commentsChat , getting sadder and sadder, so much so that Purple Tigress puts a hand on his shoulder again

"Maybe, but everyone has different ways of showing affection, and she really does care about you. just maybe she has too much on her mind, like today that she came to me. After all, we don't know much about her, except that she became a Guardian!"

"Sorry Juleka, but I don't really feel like talking about it...better to start the patrol," he says, stepping away from the railing and looking at the opposite side of the Cathedral.

"Okay, whatever, Chat Noir" replies Purple Tigress "then let's go."

"Yes, that's better" approves Chat Noir, sighing. The other follows his gaze and recognizes the place he is looking towards "How strange...he keeps looking towards the terrace of Marinette's room..."

The hero in black has taken his cane from his belt and uses it to head north again, to skirt the Seine. Purple Tigress takes a run-up along the terrace and takes a leap, tying his tail to a lamppost and using it to launch himself towards the nearest building, crossing the river.

The two continue along the river to the Trocadero, where Chat Noir stops at the highest point of the building. Chat Noir, as soon as Purple Tigress catches up with him, says "Well, Tiger, Ladybug and I usually finish patrol here. I'd say we can do that too."

He pauses, then looks Purple Tigress in the eye. "Please...don't say anything to Ladybug. When it involves me or her, this secret identity thing is super important." he says, with a note of sarcasm.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. But you, remember that if you're sad, you have friends ready to help you!"

"I'm not entirely sure," Chat Noir retorts, in the same tone as before. "Day after tomorrow is my birthday and…" he starts and then lowers his voice, huffing, "and none of my so-called 'friends' remembered about it!"

She ponders for a second, bringing a finger to her lips "Hmmm....Well but that's in two days though, maybe they've got a surprise planned for you!"

"Without a cover story? I would've noticed if they were planning something! A surprise? And how? Father would never allow me to go; all my days are super organized. Besides, he hates my friends, the only time I...uh…Let's just forget about it, okay?" interrupts her Chat Noir, moving towards the edge of the roof.

Purple Tigress looks at him without saying anything and he immediately brings a hand to the back of his head. "Sorry, Juleka. You were right to check on me, before. I was stupid not to check my surroundings better before I transformed. Besides...I know you want to help me but...it's okay. It really is. Thanks for the company, and I'll see you the next time Ladybug forgets some commitment and feels guilty." He giggles, then takes his leave. "Now I really have to s-cat! Meow!" He waves bye and propels himself away using his stick.

Purple Tigress stays to watch in the direction Chat Noir left. Then, she sighs, shrugs and heads home, transforming back into a side alley not so far away from the Liberty and walking a bit to have time to think about the discussion she had just had with her feline companion. "I have to tell Ladybug something about how Adrien, I mean Chat Noir, was doing. But I can't tell her that I found out Chat's secret identity, I promised him. What a mess. I'll have to come up with something...maybe just stay vague!" Juleka's train of thought is interrupted by the arrival of Ladybug, who directs her to a hiding spot underneath a bridge not far from the Liberty.

"Here I am! How was patrol?" asks Ladybug, reaching out to take back the bracelet.

Juleka returns the jewel to her. "Well, I'd say it went well. No emotional breakdowns, everything clear, almost nothing to do at all," she replies, then pauses. "Actually it was really fun, I wish I could do it again!" she adds.

Ladybug takes Juleka's hands. "Really? Well...I'm a little busy these days, maybe you can help me out again, thanks!" The other girl looks at her without saying anything and the heroine lets go of her hands. "Something wrong?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, um..." starts Juleka. "Chat Noir was really down, maybe you should talk to him," she explains.

Ladybug mumbles. "Down? Again? But I already talked to him a few weeks ago, I don't think it's really necessary." She wrinkles her eyebrows and her gaze focuses on an indefinite point in front of her. Then she sighs and continues, "Anyway, thanks for letting me know! Now I'm sorry but I really have to bug out! Thanks again Juleka! It's nice to know that if I ever need you again, I can count on you!"

"T-thank you, Ladybug. But r-really, you should talk to him..." the girl pushes, as Ladybug turns around and starts twirling her yo yo.

The heroine in red turns to look at her again, smiling a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll try to do that the first chance I get! Bye, Juleka!" she greets, then tosses the yo-yo towards a lamppost and disappears over the rooftops.

Juleka stands motionless under the bridge for a few moments, then heads for home, increasingly determined to help Adrien.

+++

See you for next part tomorrow ;)

Part 2

+++

Read this story on Ao3

#miraculous ladybug #ml #chat noir #purple tigress #adrien agreste #juleka couffaine #fandom event #purplenoirweek2022 #mlb s4 spoilers

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