Dance with Me, Chaton

Disguises

Adrien rummaged his closet for the things he had in mind: black sweatpants, black t-shirt, black sneakers and his black hoodie with neon green, glow-in-the-dark cat paw in the middle. Adrien smiled, running his fingers over the edge of the paw. How could he forget about it? His eighteen-year-old self thought it was the coolest thing ever and practically lived in it for a year until his father forbade the garment under the strictest of punishments.

Adrien showered and, for the first time in forever, didn't style his hair. Unexpectedly liberating. Then he coloured half of his face black per Ladybug's instruction. Rebellious. Adrien chuckled. If his father were to meet him now, he doubted he'd recognized him. To finish it, Adrien put on a black oversized cap and grinned. Masterpiece.

Getting to Kwami Kave was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. The neighbourhood didn't look sketchy, but Adrien rarely visited anything that wasn't upper class and never alone, never at night. His stomach turning, he persisted. Down a narrow, rickety staircase, Adrien heard the music pumping long before he reached the final doors. He paused for a moment, hesitating. He could still go back, destroy the USBs and hope that Father would never find out. Max swore they weren't detected, so that was a liable possibility. He could still back away—

Adrien breathed in and took the handle. He'd come so far. He was too close to back away. His freedom was within his reach; all he had to do was to open the door.

A whole new world presented itself to Adrien, the world he'd only seen in movies so far. Dark room. Neon lighting. It flashed, glowed, burst. It mesmerized and thrilled. It called. Music pulsated through space, invading every corner, every sense. Adrien couldn't see how large space was, but it seemed like multitudes of people filled it, dancing, chatting, mingling around. His heart beating rapidly, he took a step in.

"Hey, dude, where are you going? Forgetting something?"

Adrien stirred, nudged by a skinny guy in a white-striped tank top with three coloured circles in the middle. His fiery red hair was tied in a ponytail, partly hidden under a beanie hat. Behind him stood a man Adrien could only describe as a mountain in dark grey outfit with blond bangs embellishing his dark hair.

The skinny guy quirked an eyebrow. "Password?"

Adrien frowned. "I'm sorry. I wasn't told there would be a password, but if you'll give me a sec, I'll text the person who invited me and ask her."

"What's her name?"

"Ladybug?"

The skinny guy cocked his head to the side, crossing his arms over his chest. "Chat Noir I presume?"

"Yes." Adrien grinned. "That's me. She told you about me?"

The guy nodded. "Wait over there. I'll let her know you've arrived, and she'll send someone in a few."

Adrien nodded and stood where he was shown. The skinny guy pulled a cellphone from his pocket and started typing when a DJ's announcement caught his attention.

"And now let me hear you scream for the person you've all been waiting for! Here comes Ladybug!!!"

The skinny guys cursed under his breath and turned to the mountain man. "Hold the fort. I'll be back."

He dashed away. Adrien's gaze followed. Closer to the back he saw a lit stage. The music got louder, and out of nowhere appeared a girl. She was tiny, but even from where Adrien stood he could see how incredibly toned and fitted she was. She wore a red tank top and short, loose black overalls. Black sneakers and red fingerless gloves. Her hair was tied in pigtails with red streaks in them. Half of her face was painted red. She was gorgeous.