Chapter Text
Marinette Dupain-Chang dropped onto the dark floor of the Louvre as smooth as an acrobat. "Hacker voice, I'm in," she said.
"Mari, how many times have I told you that saying 'hacker voice' does not sound cool," Alya said with a strained voice through the transceiver. "God, I'm so tired of dealing with you and your bullshit."
Marinette just smiled to herself as she stood. Alya was always saying that. She looked up to the open window and around at all the simply gorgeous pieces of art as a feeling of excitement coursed through her body. "Can you believe it Alya??!! Can you BELIEVE IT!! I'm actually stealing from the Louvre. The LOUVRE!!" she exclaimed. "I've waited so long for this moment and...ahh it's just so beautiful!"
"...Yeah, fangirling later, stealing now. We're on a schedule, Mari. Let's go let's go let's go!" Alya clapped her hands right next to the mic creating the worst sound to ever grace Marinette's ears.
"Alya you're going to fucking kill me if you do that again."
"Then GO."
"Fine fine stealing time." Marinette held her bag tight as she waded like a graceful dancer through trip wires and lasers as she neared closer to her prize: the Mona Lisa. "I've never stolen anything this big before," she muttered, "how much longer til the security guard comes around?"
"About 3 minutes, hurry up!"
"Alright, don't worry girl I got this." She stopped in front of the wooden bar just before the famed painting. "Such an iconic painting," Marinette sighed in longing. "Did you know that the woman in the painting isn't actually named Mona Lisa? Her name is actually Lisa Gherardini, and Mona Lisa actually means 'My Lady Lisa'. Did you know that her lack of eyebrows is actually a huge debate in the art world? Did you know that many men have died from loving her? In fact, Napoleon Bonaparte himself had her hanging in his room at the Tuileries Palace for four years!! He was OBSESSED. Just like I am. Did you kno—"
"ALRIGHT MARI LET'S GO," Alya yelled. "You're falling into your bad habit again! You're going to get almost caught—AGAIN.
Marinette smirked, but she knew Alya was right. Though it would be nice to see that Chat Noir agai— NO. Focus, I have to focus, Marinette thought. With that determined mindset, she began to do what she does best: crack a security system. The Mona Lisa was one of the most priceless paintings in the whole world with bullet proof glass and climate control, but Marinette, you see, really liked stealing. No security system in the whole world was too tough for her to crack.
As she finished and pulled the tiny painting from its frame, she heard the familiar stride of a familiar individual. He's here. Marinette turned around to face the man clothed in a black catsuit. Chat Noir. Her crush rival. She was obsessed with him, in a totally non-romantic way. Of course.
***
Adrien Agreste stood in the shadows across the room staring at her. She was bent over the Mona Lisa as she removed it trap by trap. Ladybug was the object of his obsession. His rival. He was trying to catch her, and she was trying to elude him. So far, she was winning. By two years, and it was so frustrating. Adrien was determined to catch her, no matter what.
"Dude, I can't believe Ladybug's actually going for artwork this big!" Nino exclaimed in Adrien's ear. "She's getting to bold. You gotta stop her this time."
"It's not like I haven't tried, Nino." Adrien sighed. "It's just that she's, unfortunately, one of the most talented thieves in all of Eurasia. This time, though, I can't fail. She's got the Mona Lisa in hand. THE Mona Lisa."
"Then stop her already dude. Geez, where would you be without me, you dramatic bitch?"
Adrien smiled, "I would have never made it this far, that's where I'd be." Clenching his fist in determination, he said, "Let's end this."
He slowly walked forward knowing that she would hear him no matter what approach he took. Ladybug had just pulled the painting from the frame and was putting it in a holder when she stopped. She had heard him. Ladybug slowly turned. She casually leaned onto one foot and smirked at him, as if she was happy he came. How dare she.
"I see you've gotten bolder, Ladybug. This is a huge move on your part."
"And you've been essentially non-existent in the search for me the past three months, Chat Noir."
Damn, she noticed? Adrien had tried to make it appear that all was normal from the detectives in the search for Ladybug, but it had apparently failed. Oh well, the project he worked on those three months would be well worth it anyway. This project, you see, may lead to the exposure of Ladybug's true identity.
"What of it, Ladybug?" was all he replied with. "I'm a busy man, and I have other, more important cases to deal with than yours."
Ladybug held her chin in fake contemplation and stared up at the ceiling, as if to mock him, and said "No, no I don't think you do." She smirked, "I'd bet I'm your most important case, huh? You'll never catch me, though, Chat Noir. I've beaten you countless times in the past, and this time will be no different."
Adrien almost couldn't help smirking. He changed his mind. Catching her right now wasn't the most important thing on his mind, anymore. Soon, very soon, he would know her true identity and finally have some peace. Of course, he would still try to catch her. He always did.
Ladybug, however, grabbed her bag and the painting holder, and she threw her ladybug-themed grappling hook to the open window on the ceiling faster than his eye could see. She flew through the ceiling and began to run along the roof.
Adrien soon was following in her footsteps using his high-tech baton to catapult himself through the ceiling. Landing on the roof, he began to sprint while shouting, "La Femme Rouge!" as he chased her. The Red Lady. It fit her. The ladybug suit she wore was her icon, her symbol. No one knew, however, why she chose a ladybug as her ensemble. The motive behind her choice was shrouded in mystery, but he did know that it was easy to run in because man she was fast.
He chased across rooftop after rooftop in the full moon's light shouting "La Femme Rouge!" as he went. Ladybug finally stopped on one particular rooftop, seemingly from exhaustion, and Adrien thought he finally had her.
As luck would have it, however, she turned around and waved at him with a cheeky smile before leaping off the building into the night.
Adrien sprinted to the edge of the building and looked below. No sign of her. He searched the streets and rooftops for her for about an hour before deciding that she was truly gone for the night.
Adrien sighed as he went back to the rooftop she flew off of, "This will be hard to explain to my boss. I guess ladybugs really are lucky." He gave a wistful smiled, "Perhaps that's why she chose that persona."
Adrien decided then to sit on the roof and just stare at the moon to relax himself, but before he sat down he noticed a small glimmering object on the roof. Adrien bent down and picked up the small object which he saw was an earring. He smirked. Oh ladybug, you messed up again.