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“Ten more seconds, Bug!” The Akuma called through the cracks of the door. “And then this will all be over.”
“Nine!”
“Eight!”
“Seven!”
“Six!”
”CATACLYSM!!”
Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief. The plan had worked…again. It didn’t matter how convoluted the plan was, her Kitty trusted her. He was always there for her.
A shadow appeared through the cracks under the door, and she held her breath, yo-yo ready. The figured knocked on with a set of rhythmic taps, and she smiled, answering the knock with taps of her own.
“Stand back, M’Lady. I’m going to have to break the door down. It was sealed with some sort of corrosive material.” Chat Noir’s voice called through the doorway.
Ladybug nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see here. She took several steps to the side, stopping when she was out of the doorway. “Okay. I’m ready.”
She was prepared, but that didn’t prevent her from being startled as Chat slammed what she could only assume was his shoulder into the door. If he hadn’t already used his Cataclysm, then this would be easier, but that wasn’t the case, and so brute force was needed to break the door.
Another slam.
The door didn’t even seem to shake with the impact. What had the Akuma done to the door??
Another slam.
“Chat! Don’t hurt yourself!” Ladybug called out to him.
Another slam.
She looked to see if her Lucky Charm was nearby, but it was outside the door. Glancing around the small interior office she was currently locked in, she felt helpless. Nothing here. There was absolutely nothing in this room that could help her.
“Maybe there is another way out…or something in the Akuma’s things to help us?” She paused…
Another slam.
“Kitty! I have an idea!”
A few minutes and a small explosion later, Ladybug stepped out of the office, only slightly singed. It wasn’t the first time Chat Noir had proven how smart he was. Combining several of the odd materials in the Akuma’s arsenal had created an explosion and now she was free.
Chat Noir stood before her, cocky as ever, with the Akumatized object (some sort of id badge) held out in his hand. “A gift for My Lady.” She looked to see the Akuma all but gift wrapped in its own sticky, gunky slime. She wasn’t sure exactly how Chat had managed to pull it off, but he had saved her.
She rewarded him with a smile and a quick kiss on his cheek. His eyes lit up at the affection, and Ladybug felt her heart seize at the love she felt for him. “Thank you, Minou.”
She broke the id badge, snagging the Akuma from the air as it attempted to escape.
“Bye, bye, little butterfly.” She whispered, watching as the pure, white butterfly fluttered away. With a grin, she tossed her yo-yo. “Miraculous Ladybug!!”
The swirl of ladybugs flew through the area, repairing the broken door and cleansing the destruction of the Akuma’s various attacks. The Akuma was actually the new substitute science teacher that had been brought in to cover for Ms. Mendeleiev, who was currently at an International Science Convention showing off her current research on Kwami and the Magic of the Miraculous. The poor substitute had crossed paths with Chloe Bourgeois. A few choice words. A call to her daddy. Chloe was a force, one that Ladybug and Chat Noir were still attempting to subdue.
“M’Lady…” Chat drew her attention away from the victim (and thoughts of Chloe). “You have one spot left.”
She reached up and touched her earrings. Glancing at Chat’s ring, she noticed he had three left. “Alright. You take care of helping the Akuma victim, and I’ll meet you this evening for patrol.” She gave him one last kiss on the cheek before rushing out the door just in the knick of time. She barely made it into the stairwell of the building before her transform wore off.
“Marinette!” Tikki grinned, snuggling up on her holder’s cheek.
“Oh, Tikki! What am I going to do?? I was supposed to meet up with Nino and Alya, and I’m already half an hour late!” Marinette scrambled down the stairs, hoping Chat didn’t choose this as his path out of the building. Tikki flew into Marinette’s purse and started eating a cookie.
“W’sn A’ren su’osd to join you?” Tikki attempted to say, crumbs falling out of her mouth as she spoke. Marinette stared at the Kwami, a confused look on her face. Tikki finished and gave an apologetic look. "Sorry." She giggled. "Wasn't Adrien supposed to join you?"
Marinette sighed. "I'm over him, Tikki. He wasn't interested in me. I had to move on."
"To Chat Noir…" Tikki said simply.
Marinette blushed, glancing away. She sped up her steps, not responding to her Kwami’s observance. She made it to the front door of the office building, glancing left, then right, before pushing through and out onto the streets.
Pulling out her phone, Marinette cringed at the number of missed texts or calls. Alya was going to be disappointed in her. Skimming through the messages, she saw a number asking about time, checking to see if she was okay, and tons about Adrien. Apparently he hadn’t shown up either. No surprise. His dad did have a tendency to keep Adrien from events with his friend.
Marinette took a small breath, thinking about Adrien with bittersweet fondness. She was finally starting to be able to talk to him with coherent sentences and real words. If only she had been able to do so when she was completely in love with him. Now, her newfound confidence came with the realization that maybe it was time to give her Kitty a chance. And now she was searching for the words to apologize and confess.
"Marinette??"
A familiar voice came from behind her, causing her to stumble in her steps. She spun around quick enough that poor Tikki was violently jostled inside Marinette’s purse. Giving the Kwami a quick apologetic look, she moved her gaze up to see Adrien Agreste standing a few feet away, a surprised, but happy look on his face.
"Hey, Marinette!" He greeted again, and her cheeks instantly betrayed her, flooding with heat as her heart began to pound in her ears like a bass drum.
"A-Adrien!" She said as her voice rose a full octave. Then she took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. She focused her thoughts elsewhere, forcing herself to relax and clear her mind off the clutter that was Adrien.
"Hi, Adrien!" She smiled at him. "I guess we both ended up skipping out on Alya and Nino."
Adrien glanced away as if to sneak a look at the office building. His hand moved to his neck nervously. "Yeah. I..sorta forgot to message them. They have been blowing up my phone."
Marinette nodded. "Mine, too." She was proud of how easily she spoke to him.
Adrien gave her his best smile that could N
Melt her heart, but she held her own. "I have to head home…so I won't be able to join you."
"Too bad." Baby steps. Short sentences were the key to holding a conversation with Adrien. Marinette gave him a sweet smile of her own. Friendly. "I'm about to go meet up with them."
"Well…I'm hoping that maybe next time I'll be as lucky as you. Be sure to swing by one day. Or maybe we'll spot each other on the street again later." He stepped closer, the hint of smirk on his lips. "Don't stay out too late, Marinette. I can't wait to pawsibly see you again."
Adrien left Marinette standing in stiff silence.
"L-later!" She somehow managed to call out just as she saw him turn at the corner.
"Marinette!" Tikki called out, flying out of her purse.
"Tikki….did. Did Adrien just make a bunch of puns…it was very… Chat-like." Marinette said, but her Kwami gave no support.
With that strange thought, Marinette turned to hurry in the direction Alya and Nino were supposed to be. She couldn't shake the feeling that Adrien was hinting at something important.