Chapter Text
Retiring my mask wasn't much of a choice. Once Hawkmoth and the Akumas disappeared, Paris didn't need its heroes anymore. Sure there was still small crime going on, but the police didn't want us involved. I begrudgingly respected their decision. The crew slowly disbanded after that once we ceased having patrols. It was honestly very heartbreaking for me to put away a part of my life that meant so much to me. I’m surprised Ladybug didn’t argue as much as I expected for us to keep up the patrols.
Even after we agreed on our retirement, Luppo, my kwami, didn't leave me for another user. Needless to say, I was grateful to keep her company. Although, most days, Luppo stays at home, rather than joining me at school. With the Akumas gone, there was no need for the unnecessary risk of her being found.
Well, that was how it worked until today. I had never been paralyzed with fear until then. My whole body froze in a heap of panic and shock when I heard the akuma. There was a huge crash followed by students rushing and bumping into each other, trying to escape. The loud screams were like sirens overwhelming my brain. Every part of my brain screamed GO , but it was like my legs were glued to the floor. My eyes were wide in horror, unable to move from where I heard the sound.
"What the hell?"
My body snapped back into motion as soon as the kid sitting next to me threw over his chair and knocked me down with it. It took me a second to get up as I blinked, not wanting to believe the chaos. From there, my legs pushed my body into a full out sprint. Thank the Lord I was still running track this year because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get out of there as quickly as I did.
"L-luppo!!" I managed in between breaths as I reached my home. "It's time to howl!"
From my apartment, Luppo zipped down into my necklace as I began to sprint back to the school. After so many last second transformations, the shift from my human to superhuman form was almost seamless as I ran. Soon, my baggy sweater and jeans were traded out for a skin tight suit and a bushy tail.
"An akuma?! Why now? I thought Hawkmoth was gone!" I growled to myself in hopes that Luppo could send me an answer. Of course, I didn't get a response. For the first time in what seemed like forever ago, I could feel true power again. It was a strange feeling, having everyone look up to you, but it was a feeling I quite enjoyed.
When I reached the school, chaos had taken over. The first thing I noticed was the fire, so I leapt into action. The building had that oh-so familiar scent of smoke I had gotten used to over the years. Thankfully, the thick black cloud the smell brought with it hadn’t consumed the school yet. The fire was only by the English room, but if it spread, I wasn't prepared to know what would happen if it reached the Chem lab. There were firetruck sirens wailing in the distance. Thank god, I have help.
I couldn't waste a second waiting for them to start saving kids, however. I took the time to sprint up the steps and clear out the closest classrooms. Once I reached the room, there was an audible gasp from one of the students. "Ladybug??" I rolled my eyes. After four years of saving Paris from destruction I was still being recognized as the wrong hero. Great . "It's Chien de Chasse!!" Another student exclaimed. That's more like it .
"We have to clear this room and following classrooms down the hall!" One by one, I quickly ushered out the students before their room could become engulfed in flames. Once everyone left the classrooms, the teachers followed basic fire drill procedures and got the students to a safe location. I did another quick look around before leaving to the Chem lab. The fire was catching much more quickly than I anticipated. I began to start clearing the room, but the door behind me collapsed and was covered in flames. The fire was spreading too quickly for me to react to. A young girl pulled me back before a board from the ceiling fell and crushed me. What to do.....what to do......my main exit is closed and this is a second floor room.....
"Screw it," I growled. I counted the remaining students. There were only 4 left. I took a few steps back before picking up a chair and throwing it at the window. It only took a few more hits until it cracked enough for me to break the window using my shoulder. From out the window, I could see the fire trucks surrounding the building. Quickly, I signaled for a ladder towards my half of the building. With ease, we got to the first two students out of the building, but once the third got out, fire broke out from another window, distracting the fireman. Another classroom was trapped inside the building. I signaled for the firemen to work on saving the other students. This left me with the last kid in my room.
Without any other options left I asked, "You want a Piggy back ride?" The poor kid was still in shock from the fire and could barely comprehend my words. This was definitely his first akuma attack. Not wasting any time, I just carried the boy like a baby and leapt out of the window onto another fire truck. Thank god for this suit because otherwise, a jump like that would have shattered my ankles.
I sat the boy down in the grass and then sprinted back to the school. I had no idea who this pyromaniac akuma could be, but I was determined to get to the bottom of this endeavour. "Was anyone acting unusual in your class today?"
"It's Alex Summers, Chien," I turned around to see a very familiar face. "His bunsen burner wasn't working this morning and he ran out of time for his lab."
"Red," I breathed, not able to say anything else. He smiled, but continued with a serious tone, "Come on. We don't have any time to waste."
I nodded, pulling my mind back into motion as we surveyed the area. "You think the firemen can handle the school?"
"They've seen worse."
And with that, we were on our way, jumping from building to building. The Akuma couldn't have gotten too far. As we sprinted across the Paris rooftops, I couldn't help but notice that my partner had grown up. His hair had always been longer than average, but now it was long enough for him to pull it back into a small bun. He also seemed to have a bit of stubble around his jaw. Cute , I thought to myself before I fell face first on a roof. Note to self, pay attention.
Thankfully, Red hadn't noticed my stumble and I continued to prowl along. I peered over to see Red holding back a grin from the corner of his mouth. Never mind then.
"A little rusty, Chiot ?" Red teased, jumping over to my roof. Now we were running side to side, Red fia and Chien de chasse, a team as perfectly bound as Chat Noir and the Miraculous Ladybug themselves. I smirked back at him.
"You're missing some hair back there too," he said as he reached out to pet one of my ears. "Almost didn't recognize you." That's right , I thought. He doesn't know me without long hair. I bit my lip. I cut my hair in an effort pull attention away from my other life. Surprisingly, the whole long hair flowing in the wind deal, used to be a big part of me. I couldn’t imagine myself with short hair, until I chopped it off of course.
"You've changed a bit too, Red." I retorted, reaching out to scratch his chin. He smiled sincerely. I really missed my other half, and I think he did too. I smirked and shoved him lightly. It was the times like this that I really regretted not revealing to him my identity. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud explosion.
“-Akuma!”
“-We have to-”
“Yeah, let’s go,” I nodded, already breaking back into a sprint toward the sound. A small shopping area downtown was in flames. We did everything we could to evacuate any remaining citizens. Within the midst of the chaos, I noticed a figure in what looked like a bright red jumpsuit flying away from the scene. Time to go to work.
I looked around for Red. He was in the process of saving someone stuck under a beam. I’ll just do this myself then. I chased after the akuma at full speed down street after street until the turned down an alleyway. There was no way I was letting this fire hazard out of my sight. I zipped down the alley after them to find a grin best rivaled by that of the cheshire cat.
“Foolish Dog! Your miraculous will be ours!”
I rolled my eyes. It's the same old show with each one of these akumas. “Listen, hun. Sorry your bunsen burner or something didn’t light, but that doesn’t mean you can just blow up and burn whatever you feel like!” I fashioned my claws at the end of my gloves. From where I’m standing, if I jump at a 35 degree angle I should be able to…
Now what geometry didn’t explain, is that while you’re trying to find the angle of elevation, you also have to be weary of the pyromaniac in front of you who just sent an explosion at your feet. If I had jumped back a second slower, I would have been blown to pieces. I guess a concussion will just have to do.
Where’s Red?