Chapter Text
“Hello, Paris!”
The studio audience cheered as Alya Césarie walked into the bright lights. She waved towards the crowd cheering energetically, bobbed reddish-brown hair bouncing with the movement. To her left, a camera panned to capture the interaction, red light notifying everyone on set that they were live.
Genuine smile on her face, Alya sat down behind the desk where she now spent most of her weeknights. It was hard to believe that ten years ago, she had been struggling to get into this industry, and now here she was, glammed up in a sleek black suit, running her own late-night talk show.
Alya was proud of how far she had come since Hawk Moth’s defeat. Working up from the bottom was never easy, but adding the personal weight of watching the reveal slowly break the friend she thought was full of sunshine, and having Ladybug call upon her—and reveal herself as Alya’s best friend—as a temporary hero to help patrol in Chat Noir’s place, Alya had been stretched thin.
Hawk Moth’s true identity had shocked all of Paris, but her friend group had taken the news especially hard. While the foursome had been close before, the news of Gabriel Agreste’s actions had forced them even closer. At first, it had been in mutual agreement to protect Adrien—they had all watched as he forced out a painfully raw testimony during his father’s trial, only to be bombarded by accusations of involvement as he left the courthouse—but as time went on, it became clear that they were all reeling.
Nino blamed himself for becoming passive against Gabriel’s iron grip around his son. Even as Adrien reassured him there was nothing he could do, the tan boy felt as though he failed as a friend. Marinette had been the first to find the model after the news broke, and from the way, the girl hovered around him the following months, Alya figured the reaction had been far less composed than what Adrien fed to the media.
Then there was the bomb of his wings.
As selfish as it was, Alya felt that secret hurt her the most. Possibly, even more than finding out her best friend was Ladybug. Which, in retrospect, Alya had understood.
But it pained her to know that every protest she attended, every rant she forced her friends to sit through, Adrien still felt alone. Even though she had devoted much of her life to making noise, so winged people could be proud of who they were and advocating for people just like Adrien, she hadn’t been able to help him. Nothing she had done helped him.
She knew they hadn’t been the closest of friends. He and Marinette definitely took that title (At least after they revealed their identities to each other). However, Alya was the one with wings. Even if she couldn’t have helped, maybe she could have understood. At least, a little.
Alya could still remember the night Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat Hawk Moth’s final Akuma. Her eyes had been glued to the broadcast, absolutely floored by what she was seeing. Once the initial shock had worn off, she dialed Nino in a frenzy. She screamed at him, asking if he knew.
He hadn’t.
Never one to shy from confrontation, Alya did talk to Adrien about it once most of the shit had stopped hitting the fan. He had explained feeling like an outsider in both communities, and Alya was very soon in tears. It ended with both parties crying and overly apologizing to each other.
But, like the rest of Paris, they pushed onwards, making the best of the cards they had been dealt.
They were all just taking it one day at a time.
“I have a very special interview for you tonight….”
The crowd cheered so loud that Alya had to pause before she could continue.
“To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hawk Moth’s defeat,” Alya beamed at the camera, “Here are Ladybug and Chat Noir!”
The flashy orange and white logo of her late-night talk show flashed on the screen behind Alya as the Superhero duo walked out. Alya beamed at her hero friends, standing up again from her desk to greet them.
“Hi, Alya! Thank you so much for hosting us tonight.” Ladybug smiled, moving to embrace the interviewer. They both had grown so much since that fateful night—not just in appearance. Alya now knew who was behind the mask. She saw the sureness in her best friend’s step as she moved aside to let her greet her partner.
“Please,” Alya shook her head, “The pleasure is all mine.”
Unlike Ladybug, Alya didn’t hug Chat Noir. Instead, she extended one wing forward, her smile widening as he reached his own out to meet her. The movement was fluid as if he had been able to do it all his life. Judging by his appearance now, there was no way to tell that he suffered severe wing damage ten years ago.
The sleek black appendages were groomed to perfection, red flight feathers peeking out from either side of his torso. They seemed larger now that he was transformed, almost brushing the floor. Even after ten years, she noticed the similarities and differences between the heroes and their civilian counterparts.
Shooting Chat a knowing smile, she retracted her wing, holding an arm out towards the interview couch, “Have a seat.”
As the three adults settled, the camera panned to catch their movements, making sure to catch all the best angles. Alya smiled easily, but Marinette and Adrien looked a little uneasy now that cameras were hovering around their face. She supposed that in their “retired hero” lifestyle, they had not sat for an interview in a long time. However, Alya was a host; she knew how to handle her subjects' discomfort.
“Can you believe it has already been ten years since you both defeated Hawk Moth?”
Exhaling, Ladybug answered the question, “Honestly, yes.”
Alya raised her eyebrow, prompting the spotted heroine to elaborate.
Tail tapping incessantly on the couch, Chat Noir nodded in agreement. The bright studio lights were starting to pull at his senses, but as long as he didn’t look at them directly, he would be fine. As if reading his thoughts, Ladybug threaded her hand through his, giving him an anchor to the conversation. He smiled.
“Hawk Moth hurt all of us,” Ladybug squeezed Chat Noir’s hand, “But it feels like we’re starting to heal...Paris has proven that time can heal even the biggest of wounds.”
The audience clapped at her words.
Alya grinned, eyes glancing down to their interlaced fingers.
“And how about love, Ladybug? Has it played a role in this healing?”
The heroine blushed, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at her best friend. Of course, Alya would ask about their unofficial (official) relationship as heroes. They hadn’t outright said anything to the media, but it definitely wasn’t a secret. Plus, Marinette knew that Alya knew she was dating her partner outside the mask. The question had merely been for appearances.
Chat Noir grinned, leaning forward mischievously, “We’re partners, Alya. Whatever could you be implying?”
Meeting him with a humorous light in her hazel eyes, the reporter countered, “So you have nothing to say about this photo submitted by Ladyblog user @ladynoirlover20?”
The picture of the two heroes framed against the Parisian sunset flashed onto the screens behind them. They appeared to be holding each other, preparing for a kiss.
“Or the fact that you are holding hands as we talk right now?”
Not missing a beat, Adrien replied to the spunky talk show host, “Isn’t that your username?”
The crowd erupted into laughter. Alya joined them.
Touché Agreste
The blond grinned, sliding into a comfortable banter in front of the cameras. Although living with Marinette and staying away from the public eye had given him some much-needed—much-deserved privacy, Adrien couldn’t change the fact that most of his adolescence had been spent masking behind a camera. Even now, there was a strange familiarity about being on screen. He wasn’t saying he enjoyed it—it was actually quite draining—but he would be lying if he said it wasn’t easy to slide into his Chat Noir persona.
But even that was different now.
Adrien knew there was an air of mystery surrounding his hero persona, especially after he had vanished out of the public eye in the weeks after Hawk Moth’s defeat. Ladybug had spun a vague story about the cat hero having a family emergency—which was more truthful than most of Paris realized. It also helped that she rather flashily integrated Rena Rouge into their patrol routes, which gave the media something new to focus on. Of course, the story hadn’t stopped people from posting their theories online. Some made sense, thinking that Chat was recovering from an injury and Ladybug was lying so as to not worry the public. However, some were quite outlandish, insisting that Chat was off trying to seduce the American Hero, Eagle. Adrien was still baffled by that theory—as if he had eyes for anyone but Ladybug.
Honestly, Adrien had thought that the miraculous recovery of his wings would have been more interesting than his leave of absence, but apparently, he had been wrong. Upon his return, he explained in an interview that the new coloration resulted from Ladybug’s miraculous cure. Other than a sharp increase in the purchases of red feather dye—which made the switch in his civilian wings very easy to write off—there hadn’t been much reaction.
“I guess we will have to draw our own conclusions,” Alya turned to the crowd, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Someone in the back let out a whistle, making another round of laughter roll through the studio.
Ladybug squeezed his hand. Chat stretched out his feathers to overlap on her back, almost like putting an arm around her.
Alya turned her attention back to the superhero duo, “But I know you both didn’t come here to speculate about your relationship status.
“How about you, Chat Noir? Paris didn’t hear much from you after the defeat. What are your feelings tonight?”
The cat hero swallowed, feathers rippling. “I think this anniversary holds a lot of emotions for everyone.”
Alya nodded sagely in agreement.
“My leave of absence after Hawk Moth’s defeat was unfortunate but necessary. I know many of you look to Ladybug and me as a symbol of hope, and I am sure my sudden disappearance did nothing to ease your fears. However, I think Rena Rouge did a fantastic job stepping up in my stead. I know Ladybug and I both appreciate her help in these past years.”
Beside him, Ladybug shifted. Nodding in agreement, the red-clad hero addressed the audience, “Do we have any Rena Rouge fans out there tonight?”
The crowd roared. Clapping and cheering, an affirmative response filled the studio. Chat raised his hand, nodding. At that, laughter joined the noise, eventually petering out as the audience waited to hear more from the duo.
Alya refused to acknowledge the tears that gathered in her eyes.
Adrien, realizing he hadn’t actually answered Alya’s question, spoke again, “But I feel grateful to be here. Very glad to be able to sit with you today and talk about a victory.”
A few stray claps of agreement followed the cat hero’s words.
“This anniversary always has a way of making us feel grateful, doesn’t it?”
Alya spoke into the camera. Adrien had no idea if he was supposed to answer that question. Was it rhetorical? Was she talking to Ladybug and him? Or the audience? Blinking, Adrien smiled through any confusion. At his side, his tail flicked incessantly, fidgeting while his hand was occupied holding Ladybug. Even though he had matured, the young adult found he couldn’t quite shake the disconnect between himself and social cues. But that didn’t cause unease like it would have ten years ago. He no longer had to worry about missing a part in the script that everyone seemed to know. Now he had his friends—friends who didn’t expect him to always say the right thing. Friends who didn’t make him feel like a burden when he asked them to repeat something or if they could move to a less busy place. He had a girlfriend who knew when to be straightforward and could always read his emotions before Adrien even had the words to describe them.
Gone was the gangly teen who yearned for validation with every step. He’d lost so much to get here. Adrien’s world had ended and restarted more times than the blond cared to admit. While Paris stitched itself back together, so did he.
And the patchwork that the growth had left in its place was something Adrien was proud of.
Squeezing Ladybug’s hand idly, Adrien was only half listening as Alya continued to speak to her audience. Before they went live, they had been briefed on the show program, but Adrien had only vaguely paid attention. His nerves had been buzzing too loudly behind his ears to give it more than a cursory glance. However, it had stopped since he’d latched onto Ladybug. Staring at his lover, he smiled softly. Smitten.
Yeah, their relationship status was obvious.
It wasn't until Alya said his name that Chat Noir snapped back into the present.
His civilian name.
Blinking to attention, it took him a moment to realize she was still addressing her audience. His heart swelled as he tuned into her words.
“While we all may be celebrating, we have to remember that today isn’t a fond memory for everyone. Even if Hawk Moth was a villain, he was still a dear friend of mine’s father. I know it's easy to be angry, even now, but Adrien is a person just like all of us,” She glanced at him, just for a moment. Adrien gave a slight nod in gratitude. Turning back to her audience, Alya finished, “I just urge you all to remember that.”
While it wasn’t as bad now, the threats the blond received after his father’s identity went public had been anything but kind. He was no stranger to threats—Chat Noir used to get them frequently—but hearing them as Adrien was a different level of scary. He was forced to delete his social media, find a new, private address. Dealing with that, and the hostility from his wing reveal, was one shitstorm after another.
Needless to say, he was thankful for Alya in both her identities.
“Now that I’ve said that,” Alya turned back to the duo, the serious atmosphere changing into something lighter, “Let’s talk about you both. What is next for the two heroes of Paris?”
Ladybug smiled, looking at her partner. Chat couldn’t help but smile back; her smiles were contagious after all.
“Well, Alya, as much as we have enjoyed being heroes, I think it's time that we take a little time to ourselves.”
Adrien nodded. They had talked about this many, many times. It was time for a new stage in their partnership.
“I am long overdue for a catnap,” he teased, earning a few chuckles from the audience.
Ladybug rolled her eyes but did nothing to hide her fond smile. “Of course, That doesn’t mean we’re leaving Paris. Ladybug and Chat Noir will always be here for you when you need us… but if we have learned anything these past years, it's that Paris is tough.”
Someone whooped in agreement from the audience. Ladybug grinned. Chat Noir shuffled his wings behind him, content.
Alya was so proud of them.
“You both deserve it,” She smiled as the audience applauded.
And they did.
They did.