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Mittens had been sneaking out at night.
It was cute that she thought the Twins hadn't noticed; they had her made on day one. Or maybe day three; the thought of her so brazenly defying the will of the Great and Powerful Odalia Blight was so foreign that they may have missed the first couple of instances. Still, she was an absolute newbie at the whole sneaking-out-for-some-nighttime-freedom thing. At least locking her door wasn't a new thing; when one of your parents is Odalia Blight, you learned that keeping your privacy was a constant battle (while almost literally the exact opposite could be said of Alador Blight, for better or worse), and she was sneaking out late enough that Mom would have already been in bed, content that her kids were safe, sound, and obedient in their rooms. She also knew how to avoid the security cameras (Ed was so proud), so there was no evidence of her several-times-a-week outings.
Okay, so she was actually pretty good this, it was just that the Twins were pros.
It was Ed who first found out. He was the first of the two to actually feel kind of bad about reading Mitten's diary and threatening to spread its pages around the school. Seeing the almost-tears on her face as she yanked the notebook out of the new kid's (Noceda. Her name was Luz Noceda.) hands, and watching her absolutely tear into the kid before she could explain that she was actually trying to protect her privacy from her asshole siblings let him in on the line he and Em had come very close to crossing, much as the two of them tried to play it off as a simple prank. (It wasn't yet common knowledge where Akuma came from; nowadays Ed and Em both kicked themselves on how close they likely came to causing a capital-A-Attack that day). Blight pride being what it was, it took him about a week to actually go to her and apologize, but he still found himself knocking on her door to do just that.
No response. Huh. "Hey, Mittens. It's Ed. You good to talk for a minute? No pranks, I swear." Still no response. Now he was a little annoyed. "Okay, kiddo, I'm coming in." It wasn't like picking the lock was even that difficult. Upon bursting in the room, he found it totally empty of company. That pile of pillows under her bed covers was absolutely the work of an amateur, and the large double windows over that oversized windowsill-bench Mittens seemed to like so much were hanging open. It still took Ed a second to process that his little sister was gone and apparently out on the town. "Huh," he said. Then a small grin formed on his face. "Good on ya, Mittens." Now to go gossip with Em.
Time passed, and Amity was still sneaking out, and the Twins were still keeping it a secret. "You think it's Luz she's sneaking out to see?" Ed asked Em one afternoon. They had the Art Club room to themselves this afternoon, and Ed was getting in some secret chemestry study while Em was sketching up a picture in her private sketch book (Ed knew better than to comment on it being a rather beautiful piece of Viney in a fantasy-style cloak petting the neck of a griffon).
Em shrugged. "It almost has to be, doesn't it?" A small smile formed on her face. "That little cutie is the only person in the entire school who's able to balance just the right amount of good and bad influence on her."
Ed snickered. "Oh, the trouble Mittens's been getting into this year. I would not have believed it six months ago. I'm so proud."
"It's been a long time coming," Em agreed. "Never underestimate the power of a crush, I guess. So cute."
Of course, their quiet conversation was then interrupted by a now-familiar alarm. The Twins sighed simultaneously. The Akuma thing was getting old.
Ladybug and Chat Noir had, of course, gotten everything taken care of within the next hour or so. And of course, Gus had a live recording of the fight, because he was apparently suicidal. "Gus! Are you suicidal?" Ladybug's exasperated voice came from Ed's phone, as the video went all blurry as she apparently tackled the budding reporter out of the way of an attack.
"Hey, I was in the area," Gus's voice responded from offscreen. "What d'you want from me?"
"I want you to be hidden and safe, Gus!"
A flash of light, and a black and green blur zipped past. Gus turned his phone to show Chat Noir tackle the Akuma, who managed to stay more-or-less upright, resulting in a bit of a stand-off. "My Lady," she shouted over her shoulder. "I might need some help before things get Cat-a-stophic!"
Ed laughed out loud even as Ladybug groaned and rejoined the battle. "Seriously, Ed?" Em asked, an amused smile on her face even as she had that one eyebrow raised to show her disapproval. "I think you're the only person in Bonesburrough that laughs at Chat Noir's cat jokes.
Ed grinned as he put his phone away. "I can't help it, she says them with such confidence. Either she legitimately thinks they're as funny as she acts, or she knows how bad they are and is just trolling everybody. Either way, I respect it."
Em actually looked slightly thoughtful on that. "You know, I can respect that."
"Right?"
Some time later...
Ed was pacing outside Em's room. She and Mittens were inside, doing some kind of sister... thing. It had been a rough day, and really, if he hadn't seen how devestated Luz herself was at accidentally getting her fired from the Library, he'd be in full-fledged Protective Big Brother mode (even as he recognized how hypocritical he was being). Then, the door opened, and he gasped at what he saw. There was Mittens, her hair let down, and cut to end just at her shoulders, dyed a really quite lovely violet, with just a hint of her natural brunette showing in an undercut along the sides. "So, uh, what do you think?" she asked, shyly.
Ed grinned, and he didn't even need to see the warning look from Em to avoid any Big Brother snark. It didn't even enter his mind. "Looks great, Mittens," he said. "Looks like... you."
When Luz showed up later, somehow with Amity's Library Employee ID and revealed she got her job back again and Amity, in a bout of uncharacteristic boldness kissed her on the cheek, Ed couldn't help the feeling of absolute fondness and pride he felt for his sister.
A couple of days later, and another Akuma attacked, and there was another video on the Blog. Ed blinked a little in confusion at the sight of Chat Noir as she used her Cataclysm to send the Akuma through the floor. She'd changed her look, didn't she? Her hair was still wild and attractively unkempt, but it was shorter than before, lacking the upkept little ponytail. And the green had been replaced by purple. Wierd, nobody on the blog seemed to even be commenting on it. Something about that was nagging at the back of his brain, but his thought process was interrupted when Em burst into his bedroom. "Ed! Ed Ed Ed! I need your expertise on Scooby-Do trap stuff, like, now. You don't even know the kind of opportunity just came up."
Ed laughed. "Okay, okay, sis. Show me what you got." And the difference in the local Superhero's appearance dropped entirely from his mind.
A few days later, en route to Hexside...
"Sooooo, anything you wanna say Mittens?" Em asked from the driver seat of the sports car. Neither she nor Ed could resist anymore.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mittens said with a huff from the back seat.
"Sure you don't," Ed said from the passenger seat. "C'mon Mittens. We're sneak-out experts. We know you've been sneaking out at night. On the regular even."
Mittens kept her imperious facade. "Not that you can do anything with that knowledge," she said, not bothering to deny.
"Oh, sure," Em said cheerfully. "You've got blackmail material, we've got blackmail material we've all got blackmail material. That's just the way this family runs."
"Not that we'd even want to bust you on this one," Ed said, and he didn't miss her surprised look. "We're proud, actually. Get out there, express your individuality, get away from mom. We're all for that."
Em grinned and shared a look with Ed. "But we just can't help but wonder a bit on what keeps you out so much. Or who?"
Mittens's normally pale face suddenly went a rather notable shade of pink as she was suddenly very interested in the view outside. "There is no 'who,'" was all she could mutter out.
The Twins shared a knowing look as they pulled in front of the school. "Uh, huh," Ed said. "I hope you introduce us some time."
"There is no 'who.'" Amity repeated more forcefully as she exited the car as fast as she could and slammed the door.
The Twins shared a look and a laugh as their little sister stormed off. "There is totally a 'who," Em said with a grin.
Some time later...
The first thing Ed was aware of was the hard surface he was laying on. It took a moment for him to recognize he shouldn't be laying on a hard surface an unconscious. He was at another one of Mom's 'parties.' He should probably wake up. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw that he and Em were lying on the floor of the hotel ballroom the party took place at, the place was pristine, which seemed wrong somehow, and the only people there apart from the two of them were...
"Hey, you two okay?" Ladybug asked with a concerned smile.
"Uh, yeah, L.B., I think we're fine," Ed said with a small grin, internally horrified as the memories of the last hour began to actually form in his mind.
"We're more embarrassed than anything," Em said. "I mean, we're the calm, collected pranksters. We don't have Akuma level bad days."
Chat Noir looked skeptical. "Are you sure you two are fine...?" That look of concern on her face was... oddly familiar.
Ed waved her off. "Sure we're sure. But more importantly, don't you guys have to scram or something?"
"We do," Ladybug said apologetically. "C'mon Chat."
"Right," Chat said with a nod, and the two superheroes dashed out the main door, Chat shooting the twins a playful salute as she left. Ed didn't miss that her eyes lingered on the two of them until they were out of sight.
Later, when he and Em were seated on the front step of the hotel, and he was holding an armful of Amity (Did Luz and that Hunter kid sneak her past a police line? So proud.), his vision taken up mostly by lilac, the penny dropped.
The next day...
"Okay, Ed, what's so important you had to call me here? You know I have a hangout with Viney in an hour."
"A date, you mean," Ed said with a grin. "You have a date." As Em's face went red and she opened her mouth, he interrupted. "Do you want me to tell you you sound like Mittens? Because you sound like Mittens." Em closed her mouth and glared. "But seriously, this'll only take a moment." He pointed to the corkboard over his desk, where there were four pictures stuck to it. Two of Chat Noir, two of Mittens. "Take a look, take a look. Please tell me I'm not crazy."
"I don't know if I can promise that," Em said with a smirk, even as she looked at the pictures. "So, mind telling what this is all about?" One the left side of the board, was a picture of Chat Noir, from the Superheroes' first press conference. Tacked beneath it was a pic of Mittens, dashing towards the camera with a horrified look on her face, one of her Good WItch Azura books open on the floor behind her. On the right side was a screencap from the exclusive Ladyblog interview from a night or two ago. Beneath that was a picture of Mittens he'd snuck when she was laughing at something Luz was saying. "What's with the pictures?"
"You don't see it?" Ed said incredulously. "Look. Look!" He pointed to the left ones. "Green hair. Green hair." He pointed to the right ones. "Purple hair. Purple hair."
"Huh," Em said, squinting at the pictures. There was a slight twitch to her eyes, like she had a sudden headache. "That is weird."
"Yeah, and I don't, like, have the dates memorized or anything but I know, I know Chat was rocking this new look her first Akuma fight after you gave Mittens that little makeover." Em still didn't look fully convinced for some reason, so Ed, fully aware he was kind of sounding like a crazy person insisted. "Look at them!"
Em sort of shrugged and turned her attention back to the photos. Then Ed saw it, the moment when whatever the wool was finally pulled from her eyes. Em's eyes blew wide, and she gasped in surprise. She gave the pictures her full attention, a finger tracing familiar features on each one. She turned to Ed, her expression haunted in a way he hadn't seen in literal years. "Omigod..." she whispered, as if afraid to verbalize anything louder.
"I know, right?" Ed responded. He was kind of gobsmacked himself.
Mittens was Chat Noir.