4. Chapter 4

“Chat…come stand by me for a second.”

Two black boots skidded to a stop at the edge of the sidewalk. Chat swiveled his head towards Ladybug, trying to decipher exactly what emotion was playing across her cryptic face.

If he didn’t know better, he’d almost say it was mischief. Her mouth was curled inward, lips twitching as if she were trying to beat down a smile. Her blue eyes danced down his body before snapping back up to his face. Seeing him still frozen in his original position, she gestured broadly at him to come over.

Never let it be said Chat Noir ever left a Lady waiting. Regaining his bravado, he swaggered over, grabbing at her hand.

“You know, it’s always my pleasure to…”

“Quiet kitty,” she cut him off, slipping her hand out of his grasp. Ladybug nudged Chat’s shoulder, standing so they were directly side by side. “…and stand up straight!”

The boy obliged, stretching his back with a chuckle. He turned his head to face her and found his lady staring across the short distance between their eyes with a sinister smirk. Chat was about to make another jest before he noticed…

….wait a second.

She was staring across at him.

Not up, but across.

The staunch realization must have shown on his face, because it was at that moment that Ladybug burst out into great peals of laughter

“Oh my god, I’m taller than you!” she cried out, tears of pure glee sliding down her cheeks. Her hands grabbed at her sides as she doubled over with chest-shaking laughter.

Chat sputtered indignantly. “You are not, I’m the tall one!” he responded, crossing his arms petulantly. At that, Ladybug skipped over, body still convulsing with barely-contained snickers as she stood up primly in front him.

Both heroes stretched their bodies as far up as they could. This led to much poking, with echoed cries of “not fair!” and “that’s your tiptoes!” before they finally settled into identical, stick-straight postures.

And damn it if they weren’t eye to eye.

At any other moment, Chat would have been ecstatic in this position. Their bodies were inches away, their faces even closer. But there she stood, just as tall as he was and just as cocky as he had ever been.

Thinking back over the past few months, Chat had to admit she had been in the midst of a growth spurt. Her change in height must have been gradual it seemed, as the fact she was now equal in stature to him hit Chat like a moving train. ‘When in the world did this happen?’ his mind screamed at him.

“Ok…so maybe we’re the same height.” He muttered, pouting as her eyes widened in victory. She leapt backwards, fist flying up as she sung out a triumphant tune.

“But that doesn’t make you taller than me-e!” Chat screeched out.

Mortified, his hands flew to cover his mouth, Ladybug’s celebration stopping short as she turned to him slowly. He didn’t think it was possible, but she somehow managed to look even more excited than she had before.

“Chat Noir, did your voice just crack?” she asked incredulously.

His face flared up, and suddenly he was glad they took their patrols in the dark of night.

Ladybug’s smug gaze remained glued on him. She was practically vibrating with joy at this point.

 Chat made sure to clear his throat before responding, trying to remain cool when all he wanted to do was melt down the storm drain at his feet.

“My voice does not crack.” He replied carefully, his tone falsely low. “I’ll have you know, a fly just flew down my throat.”

She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head with sadistic glee.

“In fact, I’m still very traumatized by the whole ordeal and need to go sleep immediately.”

Her laughter started up again.

‘I need an escape route’ Chat thought desperately. So he did what he always had, flirted his way out.

“Unless of course you’d like to hold me until I feel better.” He suggested with much more confidence than he felt.

 Her snickers grew louder, and Chat found it defused his somewhat awkward situation. Soon he had joined in, giggling right alongside her until they were interrupted by a familiar beep.

Taking a deep breath as her laughter died out, Ladybug ran her fingers affectionately through his mused hair. He resisted the urge to purr.

“You know, there’s no reason for you to be embarrassed,” Ladybug began sincerely, “there’s plenty of guys at my school who’s voice’s crack.” She shrugged, her fingers slipping out from between his ears as she ignored his protesting whine.

“It’s just a normal thing, all a part of getting older.” She continued, somewhat ashamed of her previously rude reaction.

Ladybug was no stranger to the physical trials of growing up. So the fact she had been so quick to taunt after he had been nothing but supportive of her throughout her transition into adulthood made her feel even worse.

Of course, being the person he was, Chat recovered from her playful jabs with ease, rolling right back into their usual brand of discourse.

“I appreciate the sentiment My Lady, but my previous statement holds true. This cat don’t crack.” He responded, effectively ending that particular line of conversation. Ladybug took that as a hint to drop it, prompting her to send him a good-natured smile before rounding a corner on the final block of their patrol route.

Although it was mid-April, Paris still held some of its winter chill. Of course it didn’t help they were out in the dead of night, standing on a wide and empty street. A cool wind wound its way up her spine, causing Ladybug to shiver. Say what you would about her costume, but it wasn’t the best insulator.

Chat noticed her discomfort, spouting out a typical line about keeping her warm, then suggesting they wrap it up for the night when she jabbed him in the shoulder. The two said their goodbyes then, each bounding off in opposite directions after promising to meet up in a few days.

 Unbeknownst to him, Marinette needed only to cut across a few side streets before she was back at the bakery, silently thankful their trail ended up so close to home. Quick as a flash, she shimmied up to the roof, sliding through the porthole to land softly on her bed.

 Adrien, on the other hand, had just managed to slip past the windowsill before his transformation released. His tiny black kwami emerged with a grumble, muttering a few half-hearted complaints before passing out on the massive bed.

Although Adrien wanted nothing more than to fall in behind him, there were a few things that still needed to be done before he could turn in for the night.

His first order of business was to wash off all the grime and sweat one acquired by running around Paris all evening.

Just like the rest of the Agreste house, his bathroom was massive. All white marble and sterling silver fixtures, with a rainfall shower and twin sinks sunk into a long vanity that wrapped around two walls of the room. Why in the world Adrien needed two sinks was beyond him. The same could be said for the modern, square soaking tub that sat unused in one corner of the bathroom. Adrien could count on one hands the number of times he had actually taken a bath, the last being when he was about 12 years old.

So naturally he bypassed it, instead walking into the shower stall and turning the faucet almost fully on.

Adrien’s thoughts wandered once again to Ladybug as he scrubbed at his hair. Not that he made a habit of thinking about her in the shower, he assured himself quickly, dipping his head under the warm jet of water before shaking his clean locks. It just seemed like every day she was bounding ahead of him, diving headfirst into adulthood while he himself stayed young and unchanged.

He had always been ahead of the curve. By the time he was eleven, Adrien had already undergone some growth spurts, towering over the other kids his age (or at least the few he came in contact with). Photographers had sung his praises, exalting his height despite his youth and clamoring to book him for their shoots. Adrien assumed this is why he had gotten so far in the modeling world, he was truly built for the task.

Although his last name probably didn’t hurt either.

 When he started attending public school, Adrien had noticed on the fist day he was taller than nearly everyone in his class (a fact that had secretly pleased him to no end). Of course, all that had changed in the past few months.

 One by one, his classmates hit puberty, that natural affliction than seemed to spread like measles among the young teenagers. People seemed to grow inches overnight. All around him waists shrunk, shoulders widened, voices cracked then deepened. Pimples were popped, bras were clasped, and even facial hair had begun to make an appearance.

“No dude, look! I swear its right there under my nose.” Adrien recalled Nino saying to him just a few days ago. Squinting hard, Adrien had just been able to make out a sparse gathering of dark hair beginning to pattern his friend’s upper lip.

Before he could comment on it however, the pair jumped apart at the arrival of a snickering Alya, both boys rushing to explain just why they had been so close only moments before. She had just smirked at them, heading towards the school entrance to meet up with the newly arrived Marinette.

Yes, it seems as though Adrien had hit his stride early, now doomed to watch every around him grow and mature as he himself stayed trapped in his perpetual state of youth. Allowing himself to revel in the angst brought on by his age, Adrien turned the shower off suddenly, grabbing a towel to dry his hair gruffly.

‘She’s as tall as me’, Adrien grumbled again, wrapping the towel around his waist as he approached the vanity. He leaned into the mirror, his nose just inches from the reflective surface.

There he was. The same Adrien he had always been. His skin was soft and flawless, thanks to the brutal daily moisturizing regiment he upheld. No traces of acne…but no traces of hair either he thought glumly, eyes scanning the region around his mouth for a single wayward strand. Adrien turned his head.

 While some of the guys in his class had developed more defined jawlines, Adrien’s profile remained gently curved, cheeks rounded and chin ending in a soft point. He pouted, the expression only seeming to make him look younger.

No for the first time today, Adrien sighed. Leaning back from the counter, he gathered his dirty clothes up, intent on finishing his nightly routine by checking the Ladyblog. There wasn’t much news since he last checked less than 24 hours ago. Just some new fan theories he skimmed before clicking over to the archive section.

Laid before him was a chronological timeline of the duo’s adventures. Although the photos heavily featured Ladybug (a fact he was more often than not delighted about), there were a precious few that managed to capture them both within the frame. Scrolling to a few months ago, Adrien clicked through every shot Alya had posted between then and now.

The change was gradual at first. But then even he had to admit he noticed her growth, Ladybug slowly closing the gap between her and Chat’s heights with every passing attack. The latest photo of them together only confirmed her earlier remark. She was, in fact, as tall as he was…perhaps even a hairs width taller.

Feeling irrationally put-off, he exited the window before flinging himself dramatically into bed.

It was all so stupid.

Here he was, supermodel Adrien Agreste, feeling inadequate about his looks. The whole situation was trivial, he knew, but that didn’t stop the feelings of jealousy and longing that swirled around in the pit of his stomach. He fell into a restless sleep.

That night, Adrien dreamt he was still modeling junior’s fashion at the age of 25.