A Masked Game

Level 18: Masks of Deception

Flashback Cutscene: Safe

One week after Gabriel's disappearance

Life can be separated into two parts. The good days and the bad days, and it's through remembering the good days that sometimes help you with the bad.

"If you had one power, only one, it could be real or made up, what would it be?"

Adrien sat and looked out over Paris as Ladybug sat beside him. It had been a week since his father's disappearance/death? He didn't even know what to think. Ladybug had been an almost daily visitor. Taking him out and seeing the sights, unaware he did that almost nightly with her anyway.

"That's hard," Adrien replied. "I mean, I could ask for something like invisibility to sneak out the house, or I can't help but think it would be awesome to fly, but then that would all be for myself."

"It's fine to be selfish sometimes Adrien, you should try it once in a while." She giggled, a noise which used to make his heart sing but now only made it yearn for Marinette.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I suppose."

They sat in silence, the cool Parisian air wrapping around them and taking the edge off the day's heat. It was still summer and though the days were getting shorter, the daily temperatures still attempted to trick the last minute summer tourists.

"Though, whatever the power is, I would want it to keep my family safe, to keep Marinette safe."

"That's really sweet, Adrien."

"You say that like it's a shock."

She laughed again, giving him a playful shove on the shoulder. "You know what I mean. Most people wouldn't be so selfless."

"You're a superhero and you're selfless," Adrien stated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"We didn't get to choose our powers though, Adrien."

"That doesn't make you any less selfish."

Ladybug responded. "For all you know, I could be using my powers to sneak out the house and visit my boyfriend."

"I think your boyfriend would say that was selfless. After all, you would be doing it for him."

"Maybe. But I'm sure Chat Noir doesn't do something as selfish as that. I couldn't imagine him putting his powers in jeopardy."

Adrien looked down to the rooftop where they were sitting, finding a stone beside him and rolling it between his fingers. He shrugged, a knowing smirk on his face. "I don't know. Like, I don't know Chat Noir personally, however, I'm sure if he did have a girlfriend, he would abuse his powers too."

"Who knows?"

I do! He thought, thinking back to last night's rendezvous with Marinette.

They sat in silence again, Adrien running through the many times he'd ended up on Marinette's balcony in his alter ego form, convincing her it was just a coincidence, when really it was done on purpose. As relaxed as she was now with him in civilian form, there was something different about visiting her as Chat Noir. She was freer, giving him a little more than what she did to Adrien... and he couldn't deny the ego stroking when she told him just how much she loved and adored him.

"I think I know what I'd like. I'd like the ability to take pain away."

"Is that your way of protecting Marinette?"

"Everything I do is for her!"

"No good deed goes unpunished," Ladybug mumbled, bringing her knees tightly into her chest and wrapping her arms around it tightly.