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p-artsypants · 2 years

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The Ghost of Smokey Joe (11)

Jeepers Creepers

FF.net | Ao3

Previously, on The Ghost of Smokey Joe…

Adrien started acting really weird after ditching out on a date with Marinette. After about two weeks of rude, stilted behavior, Marinette receives an ominous phone call in the middle of the night from him, with an apology and telling her to ‘check the basement’.

The next day, she receives news that Adrien and Gabriel have both died, Adrien assumed the murderer, and that she will now be taking over for Gabriel as lead designer. Things get worse as Tikki reveals that Adrien was Chat Noir, and now Marinette has to go to the funeral and steal back his Miraculous.

At the funeral, she comes to the horrible realization that both caskets are empty, filled with sandbags instead of bodies. When she goes to interrogate the funeral director, she finds that he’s been murdered by what appears to be an akuma or sentimonster.

The mysteries continue to pile up when Marinette gets a copy of Gabriel’s will and she’s inherited the mansion. There’s also no sign of Adrien in the Will.

Now living at the mansion, Marinette is receiving disturbing phone calls on Adrien’s old phone, and the house is acting weird.

Though she wondered if there was a chance Adrien was still alive, she ran into Chat Noir while out on patrol. He was feral, glowing green eyes, and ran from her.

So what’s going on?

—-

“What do you think?” Asked Marinette’s new assistant, Chantell, when she didn’t respond.

“Huh? Oh sorry, I zoned out.”

“It seems like you’ve done that a lot lately. Are you okay?”

“I haven’t been the same since…since I got promoted.”

“I can imagine this job would be stressful. Let me know if I can do anything.”

Marinette doubted her eager new assistant could help with her troubles. It wasn’t something someone with an Associates in Business could magically fix.

Haunted house? Dead boss? Potential zombie partner? No. No, she should focus on work during the day, and think about this mystery later.

“Oh no,” Chantell said, staring at her screen. “There’s an akuma! Sure has been a while.”

Marinette pulled up the Ladyblog, which Max and Alya thankfully fitted with a live feed of social media reporting akumas.

Looked like her mystery solving was coming up front and center again.

“I gotta go,” Marinette said, throwing her purse on. “Gabriel’s lines have been influenced by the heroes and villains since they appeared. I have to snag pictures for inspiration.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I did it all the time when I was an intern! I’m a pro!” And she ran out.

It was a good excuse, one that would keep Chantell satisfied during her absences.

She really hated that she had gotten so much better at lying over the years.

Marinette opened and closed the front door, and then tiptoed upstairs to her room, where she had a nice big window to launch, and some height to swing from.

“Tikki, Spots On!” She called, and Ladybug emerged.

It was autumn, but the draft that hit her at that moment was absolutely bone chilling, and she hadn’t even opened the window yet. Goosebumps raised on her skin, as a shiver ran to the very core of her being.

She swore she heard something. A brush of cloth or shifting paper was what it had to be, but it sounded an awful lot like a whispering voice.

And it said ‘my lady’.

But that was ridiculous. She had seen Chat Noir out and about and even though she didn’t know where he was spending his time, she knew that he was out there. Not here.

And certainly not a ghost.

She had an akuma to attend to, so she leapt into the city, her yo-yo catching on a distant fixture.

I don't care what the weatherman says

When the weatherman says it's raining

You'll never hear me complaining

I'm certain the sun will shine

Out into the city, she had no time to savor the thrill of being on the job. Actually, she was rather apprehensive.

Hawkmoth hadn’t sent out an active akuma since before Adrien and Gabriel died. Besides the weird spider murderer, he had been quiet. It wasn’t until that night that they even suspected he had anything to do with the Agreste’s.

Or this whole thing was a coincidence, which would ruin any chance at solving this mystery she had.

But the fact that some sort of monster was on the loose, Akuma or Sentimonster, or something else new, really made her uncomfortable.

As she ran, she saw a shadow move next to her, and she whipped her head over, prepared to fight.

Instead, she found Chat Noir, running in step with her, facing forward.

“Chat?” She gawked.

He turned to look at her, his eyes still a blank, toxic green, with no trace of human left inside.

“Is there any part of Adrien still in there?” She couldn’t help but ask.

Still running, he came closer, not breaking eye contact, before grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him.

“Hey!” She shouted, only to stop and realize that she had almost run face first into a chimney since she wasn’t watching where she was running. “Oh…thanks.”

He crowded her personal space, staring at her with unblinking eyes. He sniffed her, as she stayed rigidly still.

“Chat?”

His ears perked up and he looked away from her, seemingly scanning the horizon.

“What is it?”

He looked back at her and jerked to the right with his head.

“You want me to follow you?”

He batted at the yo-yo on her waist.

“Oh! The akuma!”

He nodded curtly, and darted off without her.

Ladybug almost called out for him. He was moving so much more quickly than she had ever seen. Good thing it was the daytime, or she would have lost him.

Then he stopped on a rooftop, and dropped low to the surface.

She landed beside him, and dropped to his level. He was looking out on the streets. Now that she was still, she could hear the sirens going off. There was an akuma, in the form of a black knight on a horse. He stood in front of a broken storefront window and was—

Stealing jewelry?

He was big, and his helmet fully covered his face. At his side, he had a huge lance. That was probably where the akuma was hiding!

“His lance,” she told Chat.

He didn’t respond, only twitched his ear.

Chat continued to watch, but she decided to intervene. She leapt from the rooftop, and landed on the street, yo-yo spinning. “Looks like you’re looking for the wrong kind of jewelry, Sir Akuma-lot.” She cringed. Chat was so much better at these!

“Ladybug!” The knight called. “Finally, thou joins me in combat! Verily, I shall be needing thine earrings too, but I’m a big fan of all that glitters and glows.”

“Look, I’m not a big fan of monologuing in the first place, and I have to get back to work, so let’s just get on with it, alright?” And she threw her yo-yo out, perfectly snagging his lance. “Yes!”

“Oh pray tell, Little Bug, thou thought it would be that easy?” His lance spun like a drill, winding her string up, and sending her flying towards him at breakneck speeds.

His horse kicked her in the gut, and she let go of her weapon and was flung across the street.

The only thing in Ladybug’s mind at that moment was getting her lungs to work. The horse had kicked all the air out of her and she laid there, wheezing and fighting for any breath.

“That was quite easy. The Painted Lady described it as though thou were tough or something.”

Ladybug was breathing now, but nowhere near battle ready. “…who?” She choked out.

“It matters not. Now, those earrings…” he reached for her, but was intercepted by Chat Noir, who dropped over her like a shield.

“Chat!” She cried in relief.

He hissed at the knight.

“Oh! And the kitty kitty is here too! Now we will have a proper duel!”

The telltale pink butterfly mask came over the knight, announcing that the Butterfly Miraculous holder was talking.

“Oh, how very interesting,” said the knight in response to whatever Hawkmoth or this new Painted Lady had said. “If he is deceased already, then I shall not pull my punches!”

Ladybug looked up to Chat in horror, as he only continued to snarl at the akuma.

“You…are already dead?”

At that, Chat leapt, attacking the knight with pure, feral rage. He didn’t wield his baton, only his claws, which tore at the metal of the armor.

Ladybug sat stunned, still catching her breath as Chat tore this akuma apart, piece by piece.

He threw the lance down on the ground, making it snap in half, but no akuma emerged. He growled more fiercely and lunged into the attack.

People who had been hiding peeked out through windows and from behind cars to watch the carnage. Some were even recording.

Ladybug clambered to her feet when she noticed that Chat was not stopping, and the man under the shredded knight armor was now bleeding and begging for mercy.

“Chat! Calm down!” She cried.

Chat ignored her as he bit into the man’s neck, and tore, taking the fight from a heroic duel, to a gruesome murder.

“Chat!!” Ladybug shrieked, as bystanders also freaked out and started to run. “That’s enough Chat! You killed him! Stop it! Stop!”

The knight’s body toppled off of the horse and hung by his boots to the saddle.

Chat sniffed around and found the helmet, took it in his mouth, and trotted over to Ladybug like it was a prized animal he had just hunted.

He dropped it at her feet, and waited, hunched on his back legs.

Still shaken, Ladybug stomped on the helmet, making the black butterfly emerge.

“Please revive the victim, please revive the victim!” She chanted as she caught the butterfly. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The explosion of red zipped off into the city, repairing broken jewelry store windows, and most importantly, healing the man nearby and returning him to normal.

He was a skinny, bald man, wearing an orange jumpsuit. He sat up quickly, grasping at his throat. Then he started crying.

Ladybug quickly went over to him, but hesitated when she realized the orange jumpsuit was a prison uniform.

“Are you okay?” She asked the man.

“I went to hell…” he sobbed. “It had to be hell…”

Ladybug cast her eyes back to Chat, who sat waiting nearby, nonplussed.

“Alright,” Ladybug said to the man. “You were akumatized, and…I think you died during the fight. I’m so sorry.”

“Take me back!” He held up both wrists. “Take me back to prison! I’ll never hurt anyone or steal anything again! I beg you!”

I don't care how the weather vane points

When the weather vane points to gloomy

It's gotta be sunny to me

When your eyes look into mine

Ladybug stayed with the hysterical man until the police came and collected him.

When the police car arrived, Chat jumped back up to the roof, but continued to watch from above.

“Great job, Ladybug,” said the officer. “We were really worried when we heard he was akumatized. A violent burglar, and his transformation allowed him to escape from prison, and let a bunch of other prisoners escape.”

She winced. “Did the Miraculous Ladybug bring them back?”

The officer shook his head. “We’re getting report after report to be on the lookout for escaped convicts.”

“Do you know how many?”

“They’re still investigating. Come by the station tomorrow, and we might have a full list.”

Ladybug winced heavily. “Way to go, Hawkmoth,” she muttered to herself. “Thank you, officer. I’ll be by tomorrow morning. I’ll run patrol tonight, but no guarantees I’ll be able to pick anyone up. They’re probably looking to replace their jump suits.”

“Any help you give us, we appreciate, Ladybug.”

“Sure thing, I gotta go now though. Bug out!”

She cast her yo-yo up to the place she had last seen Chat, and low and behold, he was still there, sitting on his haunches like a cat.

“Are you going to run off again?” She asked softly.

His solid green eyes just blinked.

She walked towards him, and he backed away, ever so slightly.

Defeated, she sat on the ground. “Fine, I won’t come any closer. But…can you talk to me? What happened, Adrien? Why…can’t you tell me anything? Did your father really die?”

He licked his hand, and ran it over his hair, like a cat bathing.

“Are you really dead? That’s what the knight said, after all.”

He didn’t answer anything, just continued pretending to be a cat.

“Tikki, Spots off.”

The pink light drew Chat’s attention, and he stared at her, wide-eyed.

“Well, I found Chat,” she explained to Tikki. “But I can’t get him to answer me.”

As she was looking at Tikki, she didn’t notice Chat rolling onto his hands and creeping towards her. She only noticed when he was in front of her face, staring intently.

“Ah! Oh, right…surprise? Sorry, I guess I was so wrapped up in this mystery, I forgot that you don’t know who I am—didn’t know, that is.”

He buried his face in her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck with a purr.

“Oh now you want to get close!” She huffed, only slightly angry. She took the opportunity to hug him, squeezing tightly to his shoulders.

“I missed you,” she whispered. “I still miss you. What is going on?”

Chat scooped her up into his arms and started running with her.

“Where are we going?” She attempted to look around. Thankfully, Tikki was keeping pace with them nearby.

It wasn’t long, with his ridiculous speed, before they landed at her parent’s house. The bakery where she grew up.

“Chat, I don’t live here anymore…”

Ignoring her, he opened the skylight and gingerly lowered her onto the mattress.

“Did you hear me? You have the wrong place. I would have understood the apartment, but—“

She stopped talking after he had shut the skylight and laid down, basically on top of her. He snuggled close, his head on her chest, and started purring.

“What in the fresh hell, Chat?” Marinette felt her face flush. This was Chat Noir, of course. The boy she had been this close to before, and even kissed.

God, she had kissed Adrien!

The concept that this wasn’t just Chat, but also Adrien made her heart leap.

He had been lost, presumed dead, still so by everyone else. She had seen his animated body in the distance, and he was just out of reach.

But now he was here, seeking comfort. He made no sense and gave no explanation, but he was here, nonetheless.

She couldn’t bear his proximity. It was too close to having something she couldn’t.

He was there, but then, he wasn’t. Not really.

Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers?

Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those eyes?

Gosh all, git up, how'd they get so lit up?

Gosh all, git up, how'd they get that size?

“Honey, are you home?” Sabine’s voice called from the trap door. She didn’t knock, just let herself in. “Oh, Marinette? What are you doing here?”

“Ask him!” Marinette gestured to Chat.

Like a cat, he arched his back as he yawned, then he pounced from the loft bed to the floor.

“Hi Chat Noir,” greeted Sabine, completely unbothered.

Tom entered a moment later, with a tray of food. Some pasta dish, as far as she could see.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, setting the tray on the floor so Chat could eat out of it…without his hands, like an animal.

“Okay, what the heck is going on?” Marinette nearly screamed.

Tom startled. “Oh! Marinette, I didn’t know you were here.”

“Don’t tell me you were expecting him over me!” Though by the friendly reception, she knew it was true.

“Well…” Sabine sheepishly looked at Chat, who was still chomping away at this meal, smacking his jowls.

“He showed up about a month ago. He was thin, dirty, and totally feral. Back then, he came by the front door, pawing at the glass in the rain.” Explained Tom. “Then, we let him in and fed him. We had to scrub him in the shower, like he had forgotten how to wash himself. He slept on the couch all night and the next day, and then when the sun set, he left without a word. The day after, first thing in the morning, he came again. He ate some food, and then went to sleep. Eventually, we told him he could come and go through your skylight and sleep in your old room. He seemed pretty happy about it.”

“So he talks to you?”

“No,” said Sabine. “He’s basically been a cat this whole time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Marinette accused. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“We meant to, but with what happened with Adrien…”

Chat stopped eating, just sat up and listened.

“I would have handled this fine. Was it at the same time?”

“Only a few days after his funeral.”

Marinette looked at Chat, and he looked at her.

“He’s very clearly sick,” said Sabine. “He rarely listens to us, but if we can provide him with a warm house to sleep in, then we will. It’s the least we can do for him…that, and keeping his mental health a secret from the media.”

Marinette knew there was more to it than just a mental breakdown. She couldn’t really voice her concerns, but they were there, gnawing at her.

She missed having a partner she could talk things through.

Finished with his meal, Chat Noir climbed back up to the loft, over to her, and plopped down on her. His head rested on her chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

“So where did you come from?” Asked Sabine. “We didn’t see you come in.”

“I was walking back to the Agre—back home after the akuma attack. Chat saw me, scooped me up, and brought me here. I assumed he wanted me to be safe…but it looks like he wanted someone to snuggle with.”

“You should be honored,” said Tom with a laugh. “At least he trusts someone.”

Marinette pet his head, scratching right between the ears. He melted and nuzzled deeper. “Now I have to break his heart, because I have to get back to work.”

He whined.

“Look. We can snuggle some other time, if you need it. I live at the Agreste mansion now—“

Before she could finish, he scrambled off of her and plastered himself to the wall, growling.

Tom, Sabine, and Marinette all stared at him in shock.

“It’s okay, Chat. I’m the only one there. It’s safe.”

He shook his head wildly and climbed up to the skylight. Then he was gone.

“Weirder and weirder,” said Sabine. “I hope he can find peace soon.”

Marinette climbed down from her old bed. “He might come back if I leave. He didn’t seem to take too kindly to hearing about the mansion.”

“I wonder why? Do you know if he was close to Adrien?”

“Uh…I think he was. Adrien was saved a few times over the years. I’m not sure…” If there was anything she hated more than lying, it was lying to her parents. “Anyways, could you let me know if he comes back? I’m really worried about him.”

“Of course, darling. You better get going now.”

Golly gee, when you turn those heaters on

Woe is me, got to put my cheaters on

Transforming into Ladybug got her back home in less than a minute. “I’m back, Chantell!”

The blonde woman sprinted into the room. “Where have you been!?”

“Um…I went to look at the akuma attack. I thought I told you?”

“You did! I know! Sorry! I just—“ She started tearing up, as Marinette realized she looked awful. Pale, hair falling out of her bun, and makeup smeared.

“Whoa, are you okay? What happened?”

Chantell tried to collect herself, and said sternly, “I’m resigning as your assistant. There was a face in the mirror.”

“Wait, what? What mirror?”

“Every mirror! I saw it in the bathroom first, and then he was in the hallway, and then the reflection in the microwave—“

“He?”

Chantell nodded, clamping her mouth shut.

“Who’s he?” Marinette demanded harshly.

Sobbing, Chantell pointed to the top of the stairs, where the painting of Adrien and Gabriel sat, repainted after Nathaniel had fixed it.

“Gabriel?”

Chantell shook her head no.

Before Marinette could ask anymore questions, Chantell continued. “I’ll fill out all the necessary paperwork and send in a proper resignation letter, but I—I’m sorry, he’s here, and he wants me to leave.”

A door in one of the upper floors slammed shut.

“I’m leaving!” Chantell shrieked. She ran into the office and grabbed her bag. “If I forgot anything, just bring it to the office. I can’t—Goodbye Ms. Dupain-Cheng!” And she bolted from the house.

Now alone, Marinette stood in the lobby, listening for any indication that there was a presence.

Nothing.

She went into the downstairs bathroom and looked in the mirror, and then all the others in the house. Her’s was the only reflection.

There was nothing out of place, nothing spooky, just a lonely, empty house.

“Adrien?” She called.

No response, as expected.

“Adrien, if you’re here, I want to help you. You know I…Well, I loved you in life, and if you are a ghost, I still love you. So whatever you need, make it known.”

Still, silence.

She went to her bedroom and grabbed Adrien’s own phone, which had rung several times since his passing. It was dead at the moment, but she doubted that would stop him from trying to contact her.

If it really was Adrien.

She took the phone with her to the office, and went back to work. She would be patient and wait for him to contact her. There wasn’t much else she could do, otherwise.

Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers?

Oh, those weepers, how they hypnotize!

She was so thirsty. She swallowed for the nth time. She should have just stopped and gotten a drink, but she was in the zone. And you don’t change anything when you’re in the zone.

There was a soft tap by her side, like something being sat down. She assumed it was a glass of water.

“Thank you, Chantell,” she said, absently.

Then realized Chantell had left hours ago. It was night now, close to midnight.

She glanced over, and sure enough, there was a glass of water, with ice cubes in it. The surface still moved.

Where'd ya get those eyes?

#the ghost of smokey Joe #ML #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #chat noir #fanfiction #adrienette #ladynoir

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