Papillon

Killer AU by @OneWildFangirl

It all started with fire.

Chat liked watching them burn. The way the flames danced was hypnotizing. They burst out then withdrew. They flickered and waved.

Ladybug watched from a small distance, on the roof of a house a block away. The fire looked a flickering light. Bright and dangerous when openly exposed.

She heard him laugh. They all did. He never failed to laugh that same maniacal, crazy laugh every time.

It would start with the initial slaughter of some civilians, and then he would burn the people, who would bring down buildings and other with them. And then the laughter started. It would be a maniacal, crazed cackle that would cut through the ashes and smoke, loud and clear. Then he would leave his mark. He'd use the dead corpses to form the shape of a paw inside a circle: the mark of Chat Noir.

Ladybug was a highly trained assassin, well, a mercenary if you wanted to get technical. She was being paid to hunt and terminate Chat.

But she couldn't. She saw the beauty in the flames. She also saw their danger. It was like she was in a trance, watching the flames for what seemed like an eternity but was really only a few minutes.

That was enough minutes for Chat to appear behind Ladybug and say, "So you came to kill me, my lady?"

A bit taken aback, Ladybug sucked in a sharp inhale, and turned around with her head held high.

Chat's eyes showed madness, the eyes of a sadist, a psychopath.

"I am not your lady, Chat Noir," Ladybug pointed out, her hands reaching for her swords (and deadly yo-yo,) only to find they weren't there.

"Looking for these?" Chat dangled Ladybug's weapons in front of her. She glared at him. He threw them into the fire.

"Give them back," Ladybug demanded. She was scared out of her mind. She was demanding a serial killer to give her weapons to kill him?

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my lady."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

Chat smirked. "Nice one, there. Now listen." Chat pinned Ladybug against the wall, pushing her wrists and stepping on her feet so she couldn't move. "I really, really, really, really, really, really like you. But I hate you. But I love you too. It's not everyday you find a dangerous mercenary out to kill you who's also really pretty and not to mention confident, brave, and strong. You get what I mean?"

Ladybug gulped. She was afraid if she answered wrong, she would die. She was practically defenseless. "U–err–yeah! I get what you mean!" Ladybug was frantically shaking her head.

"No, you don't," Chat's eyes clouded over with darkness. "Don't lie to me, lady. You're just another bug I could've swatted away by now, but I'm letting you live. You understand something called love at first sight?"

"I don't love you. I have never loved anybody. So no, I don't understand. I'm sorry." Ladybug looked away, scanning the rooftops for anything she could use to escape. She saw a board next to her, and some pieces of wire behind Chat. If only she could distract him...

"What are you thinking about, my lady? Tell me," Chat demanded.

"This." Ladybug tanked her arms free and grabbed Chat's face. His eyes widened in alarm, then fear, then danger, then all three. But then she kissed him, and he kissed her back.

While Chat was distracted, Ladybug used her feet to pull the wire and board over together. But Chat had caught on.

He swooped down and grabbed both. "You're not trying to escape now, are you? You tried to distract me, didn't you?"

Ladybug truly feared for her life now.

"Don't worry 'bout it, my lady. Go, and pretend this didn't happen," Chat leaned in and whispered, "Marinette."

Ladybug–or Marinette–was shocked even more, if that was possible. If this person knew her identity, she wasn't safe even in her own house. How did this guy know her? A million questions races through her head.

She ran as if her life depended on it, which it in a way did, and Chat stayed where he was, grinning like a madman, which he kind of was.

Ladybug, or whatever she was to be called, would be his someday. He swore that she would.