Chapter Text
“Sometimes, I don’t need to be saved! Sometimes, I need to make my own mistakes and just…just let me figure something out by myself for once in your goddamn life!” shrilled a voice so fiercely, it shook with rage.
“This is for your own good, Mia. I’m just protecting you.” Kim said, trying to placate his younger sister. “He’s nothing but trouble, trust me.”
“You don’t get to decide that! You don’t know anything! And you sure as hell don’t get to choose who I spend my time with.” Angry tears surged from Mia’s eyes as she screamed. Kim reached an arm out to slip around his sister, but Mia smacked it away before he could comfort her.
“Don’t touch me.” Her lowered tone inspired more fear in Kim than her shouting ever could have. “Don’t you dare touch me.” She ran away from her brother, hiding in the locker room of their shared school.
Everyone in the classroom stared at Kim. He was so shocked at Mia’s outburst, he didn’t know how to react. Alix tentatively approached him. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah….yeah I’m fine. Let me just…I’m gonna go look for her, okay? I might be late. Tell Ms. Bustier anything, I don’t care.”
Alix nodded her understanding and Kim sped out of the classroom. Less than five minutes later, as Ms. Bustier arrived and began roll call, a high pitched screech tore through the school. Instinctively, every student bowed their head and pressed their hands tightly to their ears hoping to deaden the waling. A second later, the next screech called out, louder than the first. The windows fissured and students took cover under their desks as sharp debris rained down. Marinette grabbed Alya’s wrist with her left hand, immediately regretting leaving an ear unprotected as another scream ripped through the air.
“What in the world are you trying to do?” Alya practically screamed at her best friend.
“Follow me! We need to get into the hallway or out of the school all together. We can’t risk getting trapped under this falling glass.”
Marinette yanked her friend away from their seats and tried to force her out the classroom door. Alya dug her heals into the floor, attempting to slow down Marinette’s ministrations. Showing off a surprising amount of strength, Marinette forced Alya into the hallway with instructions to get as far away as possible.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Alya asked incredulously as she watched her friend run back into their classroom. Marinette grabbed Nino by his bicep and tugged him to the room’s exit.
“Everyone needs to get out of the school as fast as possible.” Marinette stated, turning around to help more of her classmates.
“You need to get out too!” Alya stepped forward to go after her friend, but Nino gripped the back of her shirt, preventing her from moving any farther.
“Come on, Alya. Going back in there will only make more chaos.” Nino said removing his hand from her shirt to cover his ear again. Alya stared off into the classroom wanting to help her friend, but decided Nino was right.
After watching Marinette, most of the other students ran to the door, hoping to escape to safety. Ivan scooped Mylène into his arms and carried her to the exit as she was stiff with fear. In the back of the classroom, Nathaniel curled around his sketchbook, paralyzed. Though Marinette was strong, she could only slowly drag Nathaniel towards the door with her one free hand. She hooked her arm underneath his armpit and attempted dashing to the front of the classroom as the screaming continued and the windows broke further. Unexpectedly, Nathaniel’s weight lessened and Marinette could break into a full sprint. Looking behind her, she saw that Adrien had grabbed Nathaniel’s other arm and was helping her shuffle him out of the classroom. After letting Nathaniel out of their shared grasp, Marinette tried to smile her thanks at Adrien, but he was no longer paying attention. Instead, he ran deeper into the school oblivious to Marinette’s protests.
Most of the student body evacuated the school, but Alya forged ahead, her phone out and ready to record information for the Ladyblog. Nino stayed close behind her even as she shooed him away, steering her out of the path of falling rubble with his elbows on her shoulders.
Running to the security of the first floor’s supply closet, Marinette unclasped her purse and quickly transformed. Venturing out into the hallway, Ladybug hoped to spot Adrien as she searched for the akumatized victim. The loud screeches made the akuma easy to locate, and Ladybug ran to the locker rooms, failing to find her blond friend along the way.
Bursting through the locker room’s doors, Ladybug noticed Kim stretched out helplessly on the ground. His palms faced the ceiling, mouth wide in shock. His eyes were open, but unfocused as if blinded in shock. Ladybug stepped into the room and immediately stopped as her senses were overloaded. Her skin only prickled beneath her suit, but her unprotected face burned. A powerfully foul smell assaulted her nose, but when she opened her mouth to breathe, her tongue filled with fire and it felt like her tastebuds were being singed off. Looking around the room, she found a small Vietnamese girl shrouded in brightly reflective armor with hair of fire. The armor was embroidered with charcoal marks which swirled up the front of the costume, settling into a deep indent on the girl’s chest where a delicate locket rested. A large shield was visible on her back, marked with the same swirls that adorned the armor.
“You think you can shield me from the world? You think I deserve to be ignorant of everything around me? You’re not protecting me!” the akuma yelled at Kim. He remained motionless, not even a twitch of awareness that the akuma was focusing her rage on him. “How does this feel, dear older brother? How does it feel being entirely shielded from your surroundings? This is what it’s like being protected from the world. It’s senseless! How does it feel to be completely senseless!” Mia said, continuing her verbal assault.
Ladybug ran to Kim’s side, poised to carry him from the room. As soon as the akuma caught sight of Ladybug, she let out another screech. Ladybug reflexively turned her head to the armor clad villain, making direct eye contact. Immediately, Ladybug’s vision dissolved as a blazing white light blinded her. Ladybug collapsed to the floor, feeling helpless as each of her senses were effectively destroyed by the akuma. Desperately, she crawled back towards the exit, silently hoping she could find the door even though she could barely feel the tiles underneath her hands and knees.
A force grabbed Ladybug around her waist, and jerked her into the air. Too stunned to fight, Ladybug limply folded in on herself as she was carried away from the scene.
“-hear me? Ladybug! Can you hear me? Please look at me. If you can hear me, Ladybug, please say something.” Ladybug’s hearing suddenly returned to her, and she twisted out of a vice-like grip.
Looking up at her savior’s messy blond hair and brilliant green eyes, Ladybug grinned. “Chat Noir, thank god you’re here.”
“Always. Did you get a good look at what we’re up against?”
“I think so. The akuma is definitely in her locket, but I don’t know how we’ll be able to get it. If we’re in the same room as her, she’ll completely obliterate our senses.” Ladybug said worriedly. “How can we fight something we can’t get hear?”
“Maybe we need a bit of luck.” Chat suggested with a wink.
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug shouted and pair of heavy, thick goggles materialized in her hands. “At least I won’t be blind” she mused, stretching the elastic around her head and adjusting the goggles over her mask.
“Unless, of course, you’re blinded by my dashing display of heroism.” Chat flirted as he reached to the side of her goggles and tightened the strap.
“Somehow, I think I’ll recover.”
“You wound me, my lady.” Chat staggered back a step and dramatically laid a hand over his heart.
The corner of Ladybug’s mouth twitched up in a smirk before she ran back to the locker room, Chat Noir on her heels.
Ladybug stepped into the room first, taking a protective stance around Chat as her nose and mouth were once again decimated. Once spotted, the villain lunged at the two superheroes and Ladybug flung her yo-yo in an attempt to tie the girl’s limbs down to her body and immobilize her. The girl quickly held her shield in front of her body and the yo-yo bounced off its surface uselessly.
Ladybug turned her head to yell “Chat, get her shield!”
Before he could move into action, his eyes glazed over and his hands went up to his ears as the akuma let out another blood-curdling scream. Without his senses, Chat weakly called for Cataclysm, but stayed rooted in his spot, unsure where to place his destructive power. Ladybug grabbed hold of her partner and stretched his Cataclysm-laced hand in front of his body. She then wrapped her arms around his middle and flung him towards the akuma, slamming his hand into the shield which rusted and fell away. Letting out a frustrated yelp, Kim’s sister clutched Chat Noir’s forearms and twirled him away from her body.
“Chat!” Ladybug cried as he knocked into the wall. “Mia, stop this already! Kim was only trying to protect you!”
“I’m Senseless!” the villain boomed. “I don’t need protection! If Kim wants to prevent me from experiencing the world, then I’ll return the favor. And you, Ladybug. Why should you protect Paris? We don’t need saving!”
Senseless paused for only a moment before turning and rushing to Chat Noir’s side and grabbing his hand. “Maybe it’s time our city defended itself without superheroes.” She laughed and lifted up his finger, dangerously close to pulling off his ring.
Ladybug threw her yo-yo at the villain, knocking Senseless off balance and giving Ladybug the time she needed to run to Chat and swing her partner up onto her shoulder. Racing from the locker room, Ladybug searched for a place to transform. She spotted Alya near the locker room doors with her phone out, recording. Nino sheepishly made eye contacting with Ladybug and shrugged his shoulders, helplessly. Alix and Max were across the hallway, observing from a more secluded location, as Rose and Juleka peered out from behind a pillar. Looking around, Ladybug groaned in frustration as she noticed at least 30 kids had ventured back into the school hoping to get a closer look at the battle.
Hefting Chat’s weight so he settled more comfortable on her shoulder, Ladybug sprinted up the stairs desperately looking for privacy from the students inquisitive gazes. She turned down a secluded hall but could hear footsteps running up the stairs after her. The footsteps were too far away to have seen which direction she had taken, but Ladybug could feel her luck running out. She burst into a small supply closet and let Chat down. Pressing her ear against the door, Ladybug’s pulse raced as she heard the footsteps turn down her hallway.
“Ladybug, you’re about to transform.”
“I know. Someone’s coming. Chat, release your transformation.” Ladybug begged.
“What? Are you okay?”
“Chat, just please trust me!” Ladybug reached up and grasped her partner’s shoulder with one hand and cupped the back of his neck with the other. She pulled his face down to hers, smashing their lips together. Chat squeaked in shock, his eyes widening even as his lady’s closed. A pink tinged light filled the room which Chat recognized as Ladybug’s detransformation. He snapped his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around her waist, releasing his own transformation.
The door swung open into the hallway, banging forcefully against the wall.
Marinette and Adrien were locked in a tight embrace, their mouths fused together and eyes shut tightly giving the appearance of two random, horny teenagers taking advantage of a supply closet.
“Adrien?” A confused voice said.
Adrien startled, breaking away from the kiss to turn and blink dazedly at the intruder. “Nino?”
“Dude, I didn’t know you had thing for Marinette! You dog.” Nino smirked at his two friends. Adrien’s head sharply swiveled to stare wide-eyed at Marinette. His Lady.
Holy crap. Marinette was Ladybug.
And she had just kissed him.
“I guess I’ll tell Alya to quit worrying what happened to you two.” Nino said with a wink. “She’s gonna be pissed you didn’t tell her about this.” He added, directing his attention to Marinette.
“It wa-was really um…sudden?” Marinette tried.
“Yeah, making out in a supply closet during an akuma attack seems pretty sudden.” Nino said sarcastically. “I’ll just leave you two lovebirds to it.” He grinned and jogged off back down the hallway, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone together.
Adrien stared at the side of Marinette’s head as she studiously avoided his gaze.
How could I not have seen it? He wondered. Midnight hair and bluebell eyes? How many people in Paris wear pigtails everyday?
He reached out a hand and softly touched her shoulder. Marinette flinched back as if she had been stung, but did turn slightly to meet his eyes. Adrien tried to school his features, but he couldn’t mask the hurt that flickered across his face.
“Marinette, we need to ta-” Adrien began as Marinette cut him off.
“We need to recharge and get back to Senseless. Who knows how hurt Kim is by now.”
“Yes. Right.” Adrien dutifully flipped into a professional persona. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some camembert, offering it to his kwami. Plagg inhaled the cheese, and before he could make a comment about the tension between his charge and Marinette, Adrien called him back into the ring.
Marinette brushed crumbs off the front of her jacket as Tikki finished her cookie. Dodging Chat Noir’s glances, Marinette said “Tikki, spots on.” softer than usual. She could hear her partner’s small gasp from watching her transformation, but he was silent once Ladybug stood in front of him.
Squatting to the floor of the supply closet, Ladybug retrieved the goggles from her Lucky Charm.
“Maybe we should ask Nino for his headphones.” Ladybug said as she put some distance between her and Chat.
“They probably don’t cancel the screams that well. He hasn’t used them at all during this entire attack.”
Ladybug shrugged. “It’s better than nothing. And we really need full use of our arms. “
Ladybug and Chat Noir ran back to the locker room in silence. Chat found Nino hovering protectively over Alya.
“Hey, would you mind if I used your headset?” Chat called out.
“Not a problem, man.” Nino said, removing the black and orange headphones from around his neck and holding them out to the superhero. Chat Noir gave him a grateful smile and squished the padding over his human ears. Though the headphones didn’t block out much sound, it was a small relief to his overly sensitive hearing.
Ladybug and Chat Noir prepared to reenter the locker room. Holding their breath as they burst through the door, Ladybug ran to Kim’s side and tried to drag him into the hallway. Chat Noir went to help her, but she shot him a stern look that made him reconsider his movements. Senseless noticed the disconnect between the two partners immediately and cackled out a series of mirthless screeches. Chat took a defensive pose and trained his eyes firmly on his attacker. As soon as Senseless made eye contact with him, a shocking white light stripped him of his sight.
Ladybug sprinted to the door with Kim, but her hearing was completely gone. Throwing a hand in the air, she called for her Lucky Charm, and was gifted with a large wooden barrel that fell in front of her.
Senseless stalked towards a blind Chat Noir and Ladybug clawed at the top of the barrel, hoping to pry it open and figure out a way to use its contents. Taking Chat Noir’s hand, Senseless once again closed in on his miraculous. Ladybug shoved the barrel away in frustration, letting it ricochet against the wooden bench situated in the middle of the locker room. She threw her yo-yo across the room, watching it tie around Senseless before tightening the string and pulling the villain away from her partner.
Ladybug jumped across the room to Chat Noir and hesitated before touching him. Startled at the contact, he instinctively pulled away, but Ladybug grabbed his head and pulled him down towards her face.
Moving the headphones off of one ear, she tried to yell out “Call your Cataclysm. Let me be your eyes.” He nodded his acknowledgement, and Ladybug hoped he could understand her. She couldn’t even hear herself.
Chat Noir reached out an arm, letting inky black magic pool in his palm before cutting it off in his fist. He held out his magic-laced hand in her general direction and she grabbed his wrist, pulling his destructive power to the underside of the locker room’s wooden bench. She dragged his hand along the metal piece that connected the bench to the ground, and, without the necessary support, the seating crashed onto the floor. Ladybug let go of Chat Noir and scrambled to the neglected barrel, lifting the bench on top of the cylindrical structure. She quickly rolled the barrel so it was under the bench’s halfway point, creating a seesaw.
Gripping her partner around his waist, Ladybug threw her yo-yo up to wrap around a beam in the ceiling. Lifting them both into the air, Ladybug swung back and forth above Senseless’s head, teasing the villain.
“Come and get us.” Ladybug baited. “My hands are full. I’m not going to drop Chat Noir, and the other hand is keeping us from falling. Now’s the perfect time.”
Senseless ran full force from across the room at the dangling superheroes. She leapt into the air, arms outstretched, poised to grab the cocky duo as they neared the top of their pendulum swing. Just as she was about to grasp Chat Noir’s leg, Ladybug pulled on her yo-yo, letting it slip away from its perch in the ceiling, and twisted herself in the air so her body was below Chat’s. Their momentum carried them through the air and plunged them towards the edge of the bench. As they landed hard on the wood, dropping their side of the bench into the floor, the other end soared up, smacking Senseless hard in her back and shooting her to the opposite wall.
After slamming into the side of the room, Senseless dropped to the floor onto her knees, dazed. Ladybug took full advantage of the villain’s confusion, sprinting to her side and yanking off the locket. She stomped it into the floor with more force than necessary and snapped her yo-yo into the air to cleanse the akuma.
After the release of the newly whitened butterfly, Senseless’s armor shimmered away, leaving a clueless small girl in her wake. Yanking the goggles off her face with a hand, Ladybug shoved the bench off the barrel with the other. She gingerly placed the goggles on top of the barrel and gripped its base. She lifted the barrel into the air yelling out “Miraculous Ladybug!”
Ribbons of red and pink light shot around the school, wiping away debris and fixing the damage created by Chat Noir’s Cataclysm. Ladybug’s hearing came back with a pop in her ears, as if she was on a landing airplane.
Ladybug knew what was common after an akuma attack. She expected a body to slam into her back and arms to wrap around her shoulders. She expected to hear “My lady, it’s so good to see you!” and a fist to pound her own as they chorused “Bien joué!”
Instead, she turned around to face an emotionless Chat.
Turning away from the uncomfortable sight, Ladybug walked over to Mia while searching in the crowd of students for Kim. Beckoning him over with a wave of her hand, Ladybug turned her attention to the akumatized victim.
“I think you need to talk to your brother.” Ladybug advised. “You two have to work this out.”
“I…I guess so.” Mia said timidly, barely making eye contact with the superheroine.
Kim waltzed over. “Hey squirt.” His hand roughly mussed his younger sister’s hair. “You were terrifying.”
“I’m only a year younger than you, butt head. I’m not that much of a squirt.” Mia whined.
Ladybug laughed at their sibling dynamic, silently wishing she knew what having an older brother was like. She left the pair alone, jogging to the supply closet on the second floor to release her transformation.
Tikki flew back into Marinette’s purse to devour more cookies. A green flash of light in Marinette’s peripheral vision caught her attention. Whipping her head up to see where it came from, Adrien stood in front of her with his head bowed, hands in his pockets. Marinette fast walked past his body, but his hand shot out and caught her elbow.
“Marinette, please. We need to talk about this.”
She wrenched her arm away from him and muttered “Not now.” refusing to meet his eyes as she sped down the hall and out the school.
Adrien collapsed against the wall, dejected.