"This is ridiculous." Chat Noire whimpered as she made her way through the murky water of the swamp that she and her partner, Ladybug were dawdling through. Even though she had tall boots on which were meant for going through these types of terrains, she also had a pair of heeled boots on for when she was out of the swamp and where the mission was actually taking place. This made her feet twice as big and it was impossible to walk. She hated these kinds of missions, really. Ones where they had to go through areas that would definitely leave her needing at least three showers. She didn't understand how he could be so calm while they were in a swamp. 

Ladybug rolled his eyes as he easily waded through the water, his tall boots keeping his pants dry, aside from the occasional small splash, but that was hardly a problem. The majority of his black uniform that covered his body was dry. He readjusted the black and red masked that covered his face, making sure it was completely secure. "This is a mission." He reminded her, not averting his mind from the true goal at hand. He didn't have anything else in mind except completing their goal. He has always been this way, really. He's never had anything in mind except getting everything done and over with. He only did this for his paycheck. His paycheck from this job was what kept his parents bakery open. 

Chat Noire, on the other hand, did it to get away from the stress of her everyday life. It was hard to make excuses to get away from her father and his strict scheduling, but she managed just fine. She was a spy, for Christ's sake, she could make up a little fib every now and then, even if it wasn't the easiest thing in the world. But she always managed to fake her way through her dad's tight schedule with little to no incidents. Not that it was too hard to sneak out even if her father didn't allow her to go anywhere.

She really hated how much of a workaholic he was. She wished he wouldn't be so focused on the mission and actually have some fun. Not that this mission was a good example of a time to try and entertain himself. "It's completely disgusting and--" Chat took a step and as her foot hit the water, a large amount splashed up on the back of her leg, making her yelp in disgust. "Ladybug~" She whined, trying to dry off her leg by rubbing it with her hand quickly, hoping that the heat from the friction would dry it, though that was highly improbable, giving as a majority of her uniform was made out of latex and leather, making it impossible to dry easily. She didn't care for the uniform's material, seeing as it made her sweaty and it can get uncomfortable, but it was easy to maneuver in, and it was very difficult to rip. 

Ladybug stopped and glanced back at the complaining woman. He really didn't understand how he got paired up with her, nor did he understand how she managed to be a spy. Though in some ways he did understand how.  She definitely had her moments in which she was not spy material, now being one of them. But the majority of the time, she was more than worthy of being called a spy. Most missions, she did more of the work than he did, simply because, as she would put it, she was in "an ass-kicking mood." He never really messed with her when she was in these kinds of moods. He had made the mistake of doing so only one, but never again after that. "What now?" He asked, and tried not to laugh at her facial expression.

Chat took a step forward, cautiously, having to exert an exceptional amount of strength to remove her foot from the mud under the water in which it was stuck. When she finally did get both of her feet unstuck, she put her hand on Ladybug's shoulder, mostly using it to support herself and keep herself from sinking even further down into the water. She did end up pushing him even further down into the mud, seeing as he was now standing still to help her regain her composure. "This water is gross, why couldn't we have taken a boat through the river on the other side of this stupid property. I mean, come on. And who buys a 14 acre property with a swamp in the back? At least 2 acre's have to be just swamp!"

Ladybug clamped a hand over her mouth, hushing her with a harsh, "Shh-" As soon as she nodded, mumbling into his hand that she'll be silent, he removed it. "We're getting closer, I can see the mansion. We don't want anyone to see or hear us. We'll have to crawl soon to stay hidden better." He suggested, beginning to walk forward once again. 

He was quite skilled in wading through the unsanitary waters, though he didn't have any experience in doing so. Some of the other agents just say that he's "naturally good at everything he does." Whenever he would hear any of them say this, he would simply laugh, knowing that he was simply a clumsy, shy nobody when he wasn't on the job. He didn't mind this too much. Since no one really knew him outside of this field of work, it was easier for him to maintain his identity. And even if there was a small slip-up, and one person found out who he was, it wouldn't put much danger to him. But then again, that all depended on who found out. 

Chat yelped in surprise as he moved forward, losing her support system. She managed to regain her balance just in time to not fall down into the water below her. She would have screamed had she fallen in. "C-Crawl?! Are you out of your mind? If you think I am going to get down on my hands and knees and crawl through this disgusting water, then you are absolutely crazy. I would rather get shot in the head like a deer during hunting season than be halfway submerged in this- This-- Was that a snake. Lady, there was a snake, I swear there was a snake." She squeaked, jumping through the water to catch up to him, then grabbed onto his arm tightly. "Carry me, there is no way I am going to be in the same water as a snake."

Over-dramatic was definitely one word he would use to describe Chat. She would always take the smallest things and make them huge. Basically, she made a mountain out of a molehill, and it irritated him to pieces. He simply wanted to get through a mission without her being so sensitive to every minor setback. Though, he would hate it if she wasn't her normal self.

One mission, about two years ago, she was not herself at all. He didn't know what was wrong, but he could see the despondent look in her eyes prior to the mission. He was tempted to ask her what was wrong, but they had a strict policy, the two of them. They were never to mention their average lives outside of the field. So he kept his mouth shut, and just let her solve it out herself. She told him that she wouldn't let her emotions get in the way of the mission.

Boy, had she been completely wrong. The mission was supposed to be to gather intel only, no advancing and attacking the target. He had told her this multiple times, but she apparently didn't get the message. 

Ladybug had his own small little rule. While other agents were allowed search and destroy missions, he would immediately deny them. He had something against killing people, which he would think that the other agents would too. Though, that wasn't the case. Him and Chat, though, were never on these types of missions, and she didn't seem to have a problem with it, either. 

So when Chat lost control of her emotions and ended up killing the target, he was more than shocked. He was almost terrified of her in that moment. Though, after she had taken a step back and realized what she had done, she broke down and sobbed. She felt absolutely horrible. She had just killed someone. He remembered it all so clearly. Her staring down at the blood. Her tears. She ended up throwing her mask to the side, leaving her identity vulnerable. He hugged her from behind, refusing to see her face. He did want to know. Not at that time. Not in that moment. There was much better times to do that. He left her alone after she told him to do so, and he didn't see her until a week later. In that time, of course, he was worried about what could have happened to her, but he managed to keep calm on the outside. He wouldn't let all the other agents know that he was panicking on the inside. 

Since then, neither of them have talked about that event. The director of the agency and Chat had a talk about it, but he wasn't allowed to hear it. Which he didn't understand, considering he was her partner and he was there on the mission with her. He wanted to go in there with her in case she needed comforting, and he wanted to make sure she wasn't severely punished for her actions. She wasn't right in the head that day and it was a mistake on his part for not saying anything, she didn't deserve anything bad for it. And he wouldn't be able to handle having a new partner. 

They had been partners for the longest time, almost 5 years together on the field. Some found it ridiculous that they still didn't know each other's true identity. But he didn't find it crazy. They were both okay with not knowing who they other was. This was how they've been working for the longest time. They weren't about to change that now. 

Ladybug sighed and shook his head, walking with her latched onto his arm. "I'm not carrying you. That snake has been here the whole time and you were fine. It's probably just a garter snake anyway, he can't harm you." He tried his best to calm her, knowing how she got when she got too scared. She would scream at the top of her lungs, and believe him when he says, she can scream. 

Chat pouted out her lower lip, looking at him with large watering eyes. "You promise he can't hurt me?" 

"I promise." He smiled sweetly at her, trying to be as comforting as possible. He didn't understand what she had against snakes. But for as long as he could remember, she was incredibly horrified by their existence. He once asked her why she was so scared of them, and all she did was shudder and walk away. He never got an answer and he didn't bother to ask again.

At his words, Chat reluctantly released his arm and walked closely behind him, looking at the ground cautiously. She brushed her bangs behind her ear and kept completely focused on getting through the swamp without getting soaked by the water, if you could call it that.  "Fine, but if that snake comes back, you have to get rid of it." She grumbled, more focused now on not getting wet than the snake that probably wasn't even there. 

"I promise I'll get rid of any snake that comes and tries to hurt my precious little kitty." Ladybug smiled back at her, laughing quietly. He looked back ahead of him, squinting his eyes and leaning forward just a tad bit to see if there was anyone there. 

"Awe, I love it when you use that nickname, it's cute~" Chat giggled, putting her hands on her cheeks and swaying from side to side, yet keeping herself balanced on a very large log. 

"Of course you do." He looked passed the tree line. When he didn't see anyone, he tapped a small, almost invisible button on his mask, which allowed him to zoom in on the mansion and see if there was anyone outside. When he saw no one at first, he made the signal to move forward to Chat. But when he noticed someone approaching, he clicked out of his mask's binoculars. "Chat, get down."

Chat scoffed, shaking her head. "If you think I am going to go in that water," she pointed to the water below her from the log she was on, "then you are absolutely ins--"

"Hold your breath, sweetheart." Ladybug smiled, pulling her from the log and down into the water to hide from the flashlights that was shining into the woods. They must've heard us. He thought to himself as he submerged both his head and Chat's under the water until he was sure the light was gone. 

When he let go of her to let her resurface, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her ragged breaths. Before she could even yell at him, she started to whimper, like a cat who was forced to take a bath. She stood up and stood there, almost frozen in disgust. "I'm all wet, and my hair is- Is that moss? What is that? It's green, and--" She whined, trying to claw the green substance out of her hair. 

Ladybug flicked the minimal amount of moss that was on his clothes and stood up as well, smirking. "Sorry." He really was quite amused by her reaction. "But you need to stay silent. Come on, they'll be moving away from this area, but only for a while. So we'll have to be quick. Let's go, kitty." He grabbed her hand and started to drag her, but she yanked her hand back.

"No. Not a chance am I going anywhere until my hair isn't a complete mess." She raked her hands through her blonde, and now green, locks of hair. She wasn't happy in the slightest, that was obvious.

Ladybug's smirk faded into an irritated frown. "We don't have time for your personal hygiene needs. We have a mission to complete." He sighed, not wanting to wait for her to calm down. There wasn't time. He picked her up bridal style and started running as fast as he could through the water until they were in a dry, grassy area, free of the swamp.

He kept her in his arms as he ran through the barren grass. There was nothing to hide behind, which made the entire thing difficult, and he hadn't had time to kick off his large boots in which had been used to go through the water easier. The boots definitely didn't make running in grass easier, or running in general. His feet felt like they were bigger than his legs, which surprised him, considering he wasn't short in any way.

"Stop-" Chat whispered, making Ladybug halt in his tracks immediately. Anyone else would have asked her why, but he trusted her intuition. She was commonly right when it came to her gut instinct, and he was going to take her word for it. "They know we're here."

~~~

This is only a preview because it's 1 in the morning and I'm tired but I wanna post something.