Chasing Ladybug 📸 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

A Retelling: 13 | Copycat

"Copycat... nice to see a friendly face again."

Theo's head pounds with a migraine. His transformation isn't complete yet; a purple silhouette of a butterfly covers his face. "H-Hawkmoth?"

"I go by Shadowmoth now," The villain corrects. "But enough about that. Let's talk about you."

"About... me?"

Isolated in his lair, Shadowmoth smirks to himself. "I see your love is out of reach once again. What a shame, isn't it? When the one you want loves another?"

"Ladybug should be with me!" Theo shouts, angry.

"And I can help you with that," Shadowmoth offers.

"How?"

"Along with your old powers, I'm giving you a few upgrades, Copycat. Instead of being able to just look like Cat Noir, I'm giving you the power to look like anyone you want—as long as you've touched a part of them first."

Theo slowly nods. "I see."

"All I ask in return are Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous... do we have a deal?" The villain asks.

"We do, Shadowmoth. Ladybug will finally love me!" Theo gives in to his hurt and a purple light encases him. He stands there, identical to Cat Noir now.

Shadowmoth laughs. "Good, Copycat. Get me their miraculous and you can be with your love forever."

"And I have the perfect plan," Copycat whispers, opening the pocket on his suit and stuffing his akumatized object inside. I already know Cat Noir's secret identity... it won't be hard to figure out Ladybug's...

"Do what you must, Copycat," Shadowmoth says. "You have my full support."

"With pleasure." Copycat kicks over a rug, revealing a secret hatch in the floor. He grabs it and twists the metal, pulling up a secret entrance. He steps down into a tiny room and flips the switch on the wall. I need to make sure everything's ready for our guest. He double checks the chains on the ground, tugging on them to make sure they're sturdy, and brings down a case of bottled water. He drops it on the table and sighs.

Seeing through his eyes, Shadowmoth watches as Copycat gets this 'shelter den' set up. He stands still, quiet, almost creeped out and disgusted. What the hell is he doing? He wonders to himself. Does he plan on keeping Ladybug down there? Ignoring his weird behavior, Shadowmoth lets Copycat be. 

A few hours after making sure everything's in place, Copycat decides to put his plan into motion. He puts the rug back in place, exits the studio, and climbs up to a roof. He looks across the city, mesmerized by the beautiful sight. "Wow..."

"Hey look, it's Cat Noir!"

Copycat looks down and sees a group of kids on the sidewalk. He jumps down and walks over. "Hey, guys!" He greets, putting on his charm. "You guys staying in school?"

"Yes, Cat Noir!" They shout, laughing.

Anna Beth, the kids' teacher, her phone and asks, "Excuse me, would you mind taking a picture with my students? They're big fans of yours!"

"Of course." Copycat kneels down and the kids gather around him, posing for a picture. He walks up to Anna Beth and extends his hand. "It was nice to meet you."

She shakes his hand. "Thank you for protecting Paris!"

That was easy. Copycat pats her arm again before he steps back. I need different faces to camouflage with. "Cat-ch you later!"

Copycat waves and takes off running down the sidewalk, extending his staff to reach the roof. He heads towards the school. Adrien's last class ended a few minutes ago, and according to his schedule, the model's on his way now to a photoshoot. As long as Adrien doesn't see him, Copycat can freely roam throughout Paris.