I'm updating this story after re-reading - the hot chocolate scene seemed a little sad and lonely! It's expanded and more positive now. :)
"You've got to be kidding me! Never?!" Ladybug's incredulous shout echoed across the ice. Adrien winced inwardly and felt his confident Chat Noir smile slipping a little.
"Never. Just never got around to it, I guess," he replied, trying to look nonchalant as he whirled his staff. The diversionary tactic failed.
"But you dance. I've seen you! You're so well-coordinated... not that that's a compliment; I am too." Ladybug paused, "So you've really never ice skated?"
Adrien sighed and looked deep into the cool blue eyes, squared his shoulders against ridicule and replied, "No, I never learned to ice skate."
"Well, okay then, I have to teach you," Ladybug said matter-of-factly.
Wait, what? Adrien's mind whirled. "You... are going to teach...me? When? Where?"
"Well, the where is obvious. We can meet right here at the pond." Ladybug paused and looked down at Eben Miller, the latest akuma victim, sitting on a bench in front of them. "Hey, Eben, are those your parents coming up the sidewalk?"
"Oh, yeah, it sure is," Eben replied from behind his hot chocolate. The steam from his cup puffed out as he spoke. "Thanks again, Ladybug, Chat Noir. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll head home now." He stood and Ladybug patted him gently on the back as he started toward his parents.
"Where were we?" she mused, "Oh, the when. Well, we've never met outside of 'work', but I suppose that doesn't mean we can't. How about tomorrow? Seven o'clock?"
"What, like in our street clothes?" Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could Ladybug finally want to reveal her secret identity?
"No, of course not. Show up as Chat Noir. I'll be the one in the Ladybug mask and a thick coat." She shivered visibly. "At least we know the ice will hold; it's cold enough!"
"Yeah, the ponds in Paris never freeze. It's enough to make you wish for a fur coat," quipped Adrien. They both heard the beeps of their Miraculous simultaneously.
"We've got to go, Chat Noir. I'll see you tomorrow, at seven."
"So is this like a date?" Adrien asked, his grin back in place.
"No, more like tutoring," answered Ladybug loftily.
"Yeah, definitely a date." Adrien crowed as he cast his staff out ahead of him and leaped high.
"It is not a date!" Ladybug grumped after him as he vaulted away above the trees. He was gone so fast he didn't see Ladybug's tiny smile.
"But what is so wrong with Chat Noir?" Tikki asked, her little brow furrowed in confusion.
Marinette sighed and sat down at her desk. "He's just no Adrien. And he's punny - like, all the time. It kinda drives me nuts."
"He's trying to impress you," the little kwami responded as she worked her way quickly through a chocolate-chip cookie. "He has a gentle heart and a kind spirit. Just like you!"
Marinette cuddled her sweet friend close with a smile. "And you too, Tikki. But I don't think Chat Noir and I would ever work out. We can't even tell each other who we really are. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"
"I guess, to me, Ladybug is who you really are. You're Marinette, but you hide as Marinette too. As Ladybug, you let your inner self come out." Tikki bounced up into the air to emphasize her point, then snagged another cookie from the plate on Marinette's desk.
"So you don't mind that I'm asking you to transform for a social outing tomorrow? I didn't really think about that when I asked Chat Noir to meet me." Marinette climbed into her loft and pulled the covers back from her bed.
"No, that's fine with me! Just be careful so you don't change back..."
"...in the middle of the pond with a hundred witnesses. I promise." Marinette yawned and climbed into bed. "Tikki, are you ready to call it a night?" Her kwami zoomed to the bed and snuggled up on the pillow. Marinette flicked off her reading light and sighed. "Good night, Tikki. Sweet dreams."
"Good night, Marinette."
Adrien stalked up and down the edge of the ice, directly in front of the bench. It was five after seven, and he was starting to feel like an idiot. Of course Ladybug had thought better of this 'date'. No way was she actually going to show up to spend time with him. How could he have tho-
"Hey, Chat," Ladybug said as she landed behind him. "Everything all right?"
"Ladybug!" Adrien exclaimed, his heart leaping as he whirled to face her. "He-e-ey! What'cha got there?" He eyed the bundle under her arm nervously.
Ladybug grinned mischievously and shrugged deeply in the long brown coat she wore, topped with a cream-colored scarf and hat. She looked almost normal, except for her mask. In fact, she kind of resembled -
"Just our ice skates, Kitty Cat. You ready?" she challenged, stinging Adrien's pride awake.
"Always," he assured her. She marched to the bench and sat down. Adrien joined her, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and looking around. The frozen pond had only a few people drifting back and forth, or circling the edges of the ice. He had also dressed for the weather in a long black trench coat and matching black beanie - with holes for the cat ears, of course. They were functional, after all. It wouldn't do to put himself at a disadvantage.
"Here, lace them up like this," Ladybug instructed. "I had to guess your size, but - oh, great, looks like they fit."
"They feel tight," Adrien hesitated. He jammed his second foot into the matching skate, pushing hard to get his heel down past the leather ankle.
"Don't worry; that's normal. It helps to lace them up tight so you keep your ankles nice and straight. Let's give it a try!" Ladybug pulled him up from the bench with a mitten-covered hand and he stumbled forward across snow and dirt toward the ice.
"Okay, step out like you're walking. Just a ni-i-ice normal stroll..." Marinette coached Chat Noir gently, all traces of teasing gone. He always took it in stride, but she felt sure if she pushed him too hard, he'd quit this endeavor altogether and leave. His posture was too cramped as he stood unsteadily on the ice. "Straighten up," she suggested. "If you fall, it's no big deal. You just get back up."
"What kind of a cat do you think I am?" he shot back, then suddenly arched backward, waving his arms wildly. Marinette stifled a grin and gracefully reached out to grip one flailing hand. Chat Noir stilled and let out the breath he'd been holding.
"The kind that doesn't like water - frozen or liquid. Here, hang on a moment." She skated to a spot a few feet in front of him, then pivoted to face him. "Keep your ankles straight and bend your knees just a bit." Chat Noir complied as Marinette took both of his hands and slowly glided backward across the ice. "You do like to dance, right?" she said, looking into his green-yellow eyes.
Chat Noir's face was transfixed with a goofy smile. "Totally a date," he responded hazily.
"Hey! Snap out of it!" Marinette retorted. It was a mistake. Suddenly remembering where he was, Chat Noir's flailing arms took over, yanking Marinette to a halt as she tried to free herself from his grip. "Hey, watch it now - oof!" She felt the breath knocked out of her lungs as they landed in a heap of arms and legs on the hard surface of the pond. "Ugh! Chat Noir!" she shoved two feet and a leg off of her and sat up with a growl.
"Hey, sorry, that really was an accident!" Chat Noir held his hands up in defense. "No big deal, right? Just get back up?"
Marinette sighed, indignant. "Okay, yes. Let's try it again. Can you stand?" Chat Noir made a passable recovery and stood opposite her on the ice. They joined hands again and she put them in motion, swaying easily in reverse on the ice.
"How do you go backward?" Chat Noir asked, genuinely curious.
Marinette laughed. "Let's focus on getting you to go forward first." Chat Noir improved quickly. Soon they skated next to each other, hands linked, and then the pressure of his grip grew lighter and lighter until she was sure he didn't need her anymore. "Let go," she told him. "I think you've got this." Chat Noir grinned at her and nodded.
"Got my good luck charm right here," he said, winking as he pulled away. "Race ya!"
"What? Oh! You little -" Marinette couldn't help but giggle as she took off after him, easily overtaking the new skater and pulling ahead. "Ha!" she yelled triumphantly over her shoulder. A backward glance showed her a horizontal Chat Noir sliding headfirst across the ice, directly at her legs.
"Ladybug, look out!" he yelled as they collided and he propelled her forward to a shadowy corner of the frozen pond.
"Yaaaaaaah!" they both yelled as they coasted across the smooth, clear surface of the ice. Then it was suddenly over and they were still, Ladybug bundled in a heap on top of him.
"Sorry, Ladybug," Adrien said, "I thought I was ready - "
"Shh," she answered, putting a mitten over his lips. "Do you hear that noise?" A quiet snap was audible nearby. "Don't move!" she breathed and Adrien stopped struggling to right himself. Oh. The ice.
"This is where they put up the traffic cones during the day, isn't it?" Adrien asked with a sigh, and gingerly stretched himself as flat as possible against the ice.
"Yep, sure is. I'm going to roll off of you, okay?" Ladybug tried to gather herself without making any large movements. More creaks and cracks groaned out of the darkness around them.
"No, Ladybug, don't!" Adrien yelled, but it was too late. With a sudden crash, the ice gave way around them and the two superheroes were plunged into the dark, cold water. Adrien managed to gulp a single, small breath before his head was submerged; it would have to be enough. He felt the cold, which he expected, but then became disoriented. Which way was up? Trying not to panic, he flicked his waterlogged gloves off and reached out to find Ladybug. She was nowhere in the water with him. He twisted around and around, the lack of air becoming a desperate need. By pure luck, his head broke the surface of the pond and he sucked in a huge gulp of lung-freezing air.
"Ladybug! Ladybug!" he cried, reaching around and under the cracked ice to try and find her. He took a deep breath and plunged back below, more sure of his surroundings now, but still couldn't find any trace of her. His night vision revealed only her hat and scarf, which floated with an ominous grace a few feet below the ice. He came to the surface and clawed his way over the ice toward the bank, knowing he couldn't stay in any longer. He shucked off his sopping trench coat and tore at the ice skates, but Ladybug had double-knotted them and the wet laces wouldn't come undone. "Rrrr! Cataclysm!" he screamed, furious. He swiped at the ice skates and they disintegrated. He leaned over the ice, trying uselessly to see deep into the lake with his night vision.
A muffled noise ten feet away caught Adrien's attention. Sparks seemed to light up the underside of the ice. Of course! Ladybug's lucky charm! He was amazed she had ended up so far from the breaking point in the few seconds they'd been apart. Moments later, he could see a bright point of light bobbing back and forth under the surface. He leapt to his feet, grabbing his baton as he did so, and ran back onto the ice.
"Hang on, Ladybug!" he shouted and drove the end of the staff down at the ice with all his strength. A few blows broke a new hole in the ice and he saw a slender hand reach through to grip the metal staff. "I've got you; just don't let go." Adrien yanked upward with the staff, pulling Ladybug free from the icy waters of the lake. At the same moment, he felt the ground beneath him disappear, and realized his mistake. Ladybug was free, but he had cracked the ice he was standing on. He saw Ladybug fling her yo-yo upward around a tree branch, and she swung free of the disastrously thin ice as he was submerged again.
"Chat Noir!" Marinette called out as she landed neatly on the bank of the lake, her wet coat sliding off her shoulders. Chat Noir lifted his baton above his head in a final, desperate attempt to stay above the water. Marinette knew this would be her best chance of reaching him. She sent her yo-yo out across the thin ice, where it wrapped around Chat Noir's metal baton. Marinette wrenched the line as hard as she could, and Cat Noir was dragged halfway out of the pond water. She backed up and pulled hard; his legs and feet came free. Before another crack in the ice could give way, she dragged him forward to the snowy edge of the lake. She collapsed on her back on the bank, Chat Noir laying on his stomach beside her. For a few moments, all they could hear were the sounds of their ragged breathing.
"Thanks, Chat Noir," Marinette said, as soon as she had breath.
"Thank you, Milady. You're right; cats definitely hate water." Chat Noir answered, still panting. Just then, his Miraculous beeped. Marinette's followed a moment later and she groaned.
"We have to get up. We've only got a few minutes." She rolled to a seated position. "I look like a drowned rat," she complained, picking bits of slush, leaves, and dirt out of her bedraggled hair.
"More like a mermaid. Hang on, I've got an idea. Send up your lucky charm, then meet me by the concession stand." Chat Noir pointed to the opposite shore, where a small, well lit shack was still serving a few last customers. Curious, Marinette followed his lead.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" she shouted, tossing her small flashlight into the sky as he bounded away. Within moments, the cracks in the ice were repaired and Marinette found herself warm and dry in her sleek coat and the scarf and hat set. Both sets of skates, as well as Chat Noir's black trench coat, were neatly piled on the ground beside her. She picked them up and ran around the edge of the pond to meet him.
Adrien vaulted to the top of the concession stand, landing without a whisper of sound. The attendant was closing down for the night, but Adrien could still smell warm hot chocolate wafting up from the open window. He leaned over the edge of the roof while the attendant's back was turned and filled two paper cups from the giant thermos jug just inside the window. Dropping a 10 euro note on the counter, he snatched the cups and lifted himself back up, whispering, "Keep the change." Ladybug landed next to him at that moment, her coat camouflaging her somewhat against the backdrop of the trees around them.
"What's this?" she whispered and he handed her one of the steaming cups.
"You drop to one side of the building, I'll drop to the other. We can warm up and refuel our poor kwamis. I'm sure mine is pretty exhausted right about now." Adrien thought of poor Plagg and his unstoppable appetite. Ladybug nodded agreement.
"I'll meet you back here when we're done," she promised, then leapt off the roof of the building into darkness. Adrien followed suit. In a flash, he was in his street clothes again, hidden against the side of the concession stand under trees that grew near the pond's edge. Plagg took one look at the hot chocolate and snatched the cup away from him.
"It's not camembert, but it'll do. Brrr! It's cold out here!" the small, black kwami complained as he cheerfully gulped his sweet drink. After a few moments, Adrien wrestled the cup back and took a few sips as well.
"You know, it's not that cold," he commented as the chocolate warmed his insides. "When the air is still, it's beautiful out here." He longed to walk around the backside of the stand and talk to whomever Ladybug really was.
"That's just the endorphins talking," disagreed Plagg. "Or maybe it's the loooove connection..." Adrien scowled as Plagg batted his eyelashes at him, but he didn't deny it. The little guy was just calling a spade a spade, after all. "You gonna go say hi?" Plagg pointed a paw at the rear of the concession stand.
Adrien shook his head. "Not a good idea, Plagg." His kwami shrugged and drained the cup, tossing it into the air. Adrien caught it before it could hit the ground; he narrowed his eyes at his lazy kwami as he crushed the paper cup and tossed it in the nearby trash bin. The concession stand's back door slammed with a loud bang as the employee left for the night.
"How are you feeling? All fed up?" He hoped Ladybug had meant it when she said to meet back on the roof. It occurred to him now that she could have just walked home, and he'd stood there, drinking hot chocolate in the dark with only Plagg for company. If anyone saw him now, it would look really weird.
"Yeah, I'm great! Changing again so soon, though?" Plagg eyed him, but Adrien could tell he was only teasing.
"Claws out, Plagg!" he answered with a smile. Moments later, he leapt to the roof. Ladybug was already waiting, his black trench under one arm.
"I forgot to give this back," she said.
He took it with more decorum than the situation called for, and a bow. "Thank you, Milady." Adrien pulled the trench on over his shoulders and belted it at the waist. Okay, now he was warm.
"I found a couple kitty treats, too, if you have the time," said Ladybug playfully, holding out two cookies. Adrien smiled and took one.
"I've got time. A cat answers to no one..." he yawned and stretched languidly, leaning toward Ladybug with a grin, "...unless he feels like it."
Ladybug rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway and crouched back down on the roof of the building. They sat together and ate the cookies as the moon rose overhead. Adrien inched close enough so that their arms touched as they swung their legs over the edge of the roof. Ladybug eyed him warily, then sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. He contemplated whether to try putting an arm around her. Nah, better not, he decided. The streets were momentarily quiet; the starlit sky dark and clear.
Ladybug brushed cookie crumbs off her hands and stood. "I better go. It's getting late."
"Sure. Thanks for the cookie, Bugaboo. And thanks for the date." Adrien grinned as he watched Ladybug's eyes narrow and her mouth grow tight. They jumped down from the roof and stood beside the darkened hut.
"Rrrr. I'm paying you back for that hot chocolate, you know."
"Only if you can catch me," he teased. "I had a nice time tonight."
"You did? We almost froze to death in the dark corner of a pond!" Ladybug retorted.
"Yeah," Adrien responded dreamily, "That was great." Just then, a flat, triangular shape flew over his shoulder and splattered into the side of the concession stand. "Is that... pizza?" he asked, confused.
A loud, angry voice came from the direction of the street nearest them. "Delivering pizzas may not be glamorous, but I work hard at it! And then you don't tip me? Feel the wrath of the Slicer!" More pizza slices flew through the air toward them; Ladybug whirled her yo-yo to fend them off.
"Playtime's over." she said. "Let's get back to work!"
Thanks for reading Misadventure No. 2! If you want to read Misadventure No. 3 (currently in progress), just click on my profile to find it.