I've always been into you (Rena Rouge x Ladybug one shot)

I've been into you, too

Rena was sitting on a rooftop, staring ahead at the Eiffel Tower. Looking out over the city landscape from high above usually helped her forget whatever was troubling her, even if only briefly. Rena sighed as she thought back to the moment that kickstarted everything, wondering how it could all have gone so wrong.

*Two weeks prior*

It was Valentine's Day, and Rena was busy sparring with Carapace. Nearby, Ryuko was sparring with Argos while Ladybug and Viperion discussed where the Butterfly Miraculous might have ended up after the final battle with Monarch. Rena had to admit, Argos still made her nervous. Yes, he and Ryuko did give Marinette a clue that helped lead her to Monarch, but Argos was the one who betrayed them in the first place by giving Ladybug's yo-yo to Monarch, allowing him to acquire nearly all the Miraculouses. Then again, maybe the reason why Rena was still uneasy about Argos was because she was mad at herself over what had happened. If she hadn't renounced her Miraculous just before everything went down, she would have been able to help Ladybug and Cat Noir during their darkest time. Instead, she had been stuck on the sidelines with the other holders. Everything had worked out in the end, though. Monarch was gone now, Ladybug had retrieved all the stolen Miraculouses (save for the Butterfly Miraculous, which was still unaccounted for) and Rena and the other holders had been given their Miraculouses permanently to prevent them all from being stolen in one go again. And Argos was supposedly on their side now. Rena honestly wasn't sure. Kagami was willing to vouch for him, and date him, even after he snapped most of Paris' population out of existence with Red Moon and then kidnapped her in a separate incident, and Kagami's word was good enough for Marinette. Plus, Felix did seem to be turning over a new leaf, especially since he led Marinette to Monarch, so Rena supposed she could trust him.

As Carapace blocked a kick from Rena with his shield, she saw a blur of black out of the corner of her eye. Cat Noir had arrived. Maybe he wanted to spar too. Signalling to Carapace to pause with a hand gesture, Rena watched as Cat Noir approached Ladybug and Viperion. Ladybug saw him coming and turned to him, smiling.

"Hey, Cat Noir." She greeted cheerfully, giving him a small wave. Then she saw his facial expression, and her smile vanished. Walking over to see what was happening, Rena saw it too; both girls had seen Cat Noir angry before, but never this angry.

"Plagg just let something interesting slip about the final battle against Monarch." Cat Noir said, the anger in his voice barely hidden.

Ladybug visibly paled beneath her mask, and gave out a nervous chuckle.

"Ah." Rena said before she could stop herself. She could see where this was going. Cat Noir turned to her.

"You knew." It wasn't a question. Rena nodded. Cat Noir sighed. "Figures. Ladybug does trust you more than the rest of us when it comes to secrets."

There was an unmistakable tone of disappointment in his voice. It was no secret Cat Noir was disappointed that even though he and Ladybug had been working together the longest Rena was often Ladybug's go to confidante. Privately, Rena knew this was because she and Ladybug were best friends both in and out of the costumes. Still, that didn't mean she didn't sympathise with Cat Noir. After all, he and Ladybug were close friends too.

"So is it true?" Cat Noir asked as he turned back to Ladybug. "Was Gabriel Agreste Monarch?"

Ladybug swallowed before answering. "I'm afraid so."

Cat Noir closed his eyes at the confirmation, taking in a deep breath.

"Oh no." Viperion muttered under his breath. Rena stared at him with confusion until she remembered that Viperion knew who both Ladybug and Cat Noir were, meaning he probably knew about a connection between Cat Noir and Gabriel Agreste that none of the rest of them did.