"Adrien and... Marinette." Ms. Bustier calls out without looking up from her list of assigned teams. An audible scoff is heard coming from Chloe, not trying to hide her disgust with the situation, herself being teamed up with Max for the project.
After all the teams were read off, Ms. Bustier instructs to spend the rest of the class planning accordingly with their partner. Adrien turns in his seat to face Marinette, seemingly happy with the pairing. "Looks like it's you and me. When do you want to start working on this project?" he asks, unaware of Marinette's internal monologue.
'Staycoolstaycool, you can do this. This is a perfect opportunity for you and Adrien to get to know each other. You can make through this without totally embarrassing yourself.'
"Uh, Marinette?" he calls her back to reality, "When do you want to work on this?" he asks, obviously repeating himself.
She panics a little, "Oh, uh, work on it, when, uh, how about after school-in the library?" she sputters almost incoherently. 'So much for not wanting to embarrass myself.'
He smiles though as if she had said nothing wrong, "Sounds great!" The bell chimes, "I'll see you then." he leaves for his next class.
Marinette sighs, 'How am I going to get through an entire project with him? I've got to get a grip.' she begins packing her things when a perfectly manicured hand slams down on her desk in front of her. "Ah, Marinette, leaving so soon?" Chloe jibes, Sabrina standing right behind her sneering as the last people in the room leave, only the 3 of them remaining.
"Yeah, I was Chloe, time for lunch, ya know?" she says, face stolid. She knew to expect this from Chloe by now, she just learned to push through it. She attempts to get up from her seat but is quickly blocked from each side.
"I really think that you should go fine Ms. Bustier and ask about switching partners, I'm sure Me and Max would be willing to help you out." she says, eyes sending daggers towards Marinette.
"I don't have time for this, Chloe. Plus that wouldn't be fair to either Adrien or Max, just so you can have your way." she pushes her way past Chloe and heads for the door.
She tries to keep her head high. "Oh Marinette, just one more thing," Chloe tempts from behind her. She stops, instantly regretting it, before turning around to a wave of cold coffee being splashed all over her. She stumbles backwards from the shock and falls on her butt with a thud.
She looks up to both Chloe and Sabrina with empty paper cups. "Yes, teacher, she was running in the halls again," she feints, "probably late to class, again, when she bumped right into me!" her voice filled with drama over the fake experience. She drops the act, looking down at Marinette, "I'd rethink my request if I were you." she challenges before walking over the puddle of old coffee that Marinette is lying in.
Alone in the room, Marinette picks herself up off the ground. She assesses her soaked and stained clothes, "Great..." she whispers, defeated.
"Marinette?" Tikki pokes her head out of her purse, "Are you okay?" she asks cautiously, knowing the probable answer.
Her eyes are distant, "I-I just need to go the restroom... to clean myself up." she pulls her dripping book bag off the ground.
Tikki suddenly zips towards her, "Wait, I have an idea! If you transform into Ladybug, your clothes might be fixed for when you transform back!" she suggests, flitting around her.
Marinette considers this, "That might actually work, Tikki." a little smile returning to her face. "I better still go to the restroom so no one sees us." she places Tikki back in her purse and makes a quick dash to the restroom so no one sees the mess she's in. She runs in the restroom door, and after a quick check of all the stalls, she locks the door. "Tikki, transform me." and in a flash of light, Marinette is replaced with Ladybug.
She leans over the sink and looks at herself in the mirror, playing back the scene with Chloe. "Stupid Chloe, who gives her the right?" she begins talking to herself, "Just because she thinks she's soo popular and because her dad is mayor and rich she thinks she can get whatever she wants?! Ughhh." her usual mild temper burning up as she paces the empty restroom. "Does she think I'm going to steal Adrien from her? She doesn't own him, first of all, and second, does she really think I'm competition for her? Doesn't she see how I act so stupid around him? I'm only kidding myself if I think I really have a chance with him!" She spirals down, eyes fogging up from her own words. It's for this reason she doesn't notice the purple butterfly landing on her yoyo...
"Ladybug, how unexpected." a deep voice rolls through her head, lulling her into a daze. "I guess our emotions get the better of all of us once and awhile." he laughs darkly, "I can help you with your unfinished business, as long as you give me your Miraculous afterwards."
The words bring her a little out of the haze, she shuts her eyes tightly in resistance, "No, I'll never give you my Miraculous, get out of my head!" she demands, gripping the sides of the sink tightly. In the mirror she sees a purple glow around her yoyo, she reaches for it.
As her fingers grace the akumatized object, her hand freezes in place, losing feeling, losing control. "Your record proceeds you, Ladybug, so stubborn." her hand moves automatically back to the sink. She grits her teeth in struggle of trying to regain control of herself, but it's useless. "It's gonna take more than my usual to keep you in line, my dear, but it is very doable." She watched helplessly in the mirror as the blue of her eyes is slowly consumed by violet, feeling herself slip farther and farther away from reality.
"Ladybug?"
"Yes, Hawkmoth?" she vows without hesitation.
"I think it's time you find the person who did you wrong and make them pay dearly."
"Yes, Hawkmoth." her heart filled with rage and hate.
"And if Chat Noir comes by, you will take his Miraculous and give his and yours to me."
"Yes, Hawkmoth." she echoes as her body is engulfed in purple and black smoke. When it clears, her normal Ladybug suit replaced with one of reverse coloring, black with red spots. She smiles at her reflection with satisfaction.
The bell rings, signaling the end of the period. Antibug turns and busts open the restroom door, narrowly missing passing students. A silence of shock falls over the students as Antibug struts out of the restroom, a sideways smile on her face. "Where. Is. CHLOE?!" she roars at the crowd, swinging her blackened yoyo violently.
A panic rips through the students, most of them running for the door.
Antibug laughs darkly, "I don't think so," she cries before swinging her yoyo at the panicked students. As the mass of the yoyo touched them, a glowing purple thread wound its way around their body, immobilizing them as they one after another fell to the ground.
Soon the main floor of the school was cleared. Everyone either tied up on the ground or hiding out in classrooms. "CHLOE! Come out and get your long overdue-"
"Ladybug..."
She snaps her eyes to the source of the voice. The dejected voice was none other than Chat Noir. Neither of them had been akumatized before, the shock of seeing his partner like this makes him take a step back.
"I am not Ladybug, I am ANTIBUG!" she yells, practically shaking the whole school. "Now, my kitty, you can make this easy, and just give me your Miraculous!" she smirks, "You know you're no match for me, especially when you don't want to hurt your precious Ladybug." she saunters closer and closer to Chat. She runs a finger down the side of his face. "But then again, after I'm done here, you'll most likely never see her again." she promises.
He snaps, losing all composure he tried to keep. He lunges for her; she slips right through his arms. Antibug leaps into the air and throws her yoyo at him, which he deftly deflects with his staff. She lands on a railing on the second floor. She then runs along the rail, sliding down the staircase railing she leaps for Chat. He extends his staff and launches himself into the air to avoid her grasp. "Ladybug! Ladybug come back to me!" he pleads, trying to break through the akuma.
Antibug readies her hand to throw her yoyo again, when she falters, her arm scrunching in towards her body. "C-hat!" she cries weakly as her hands shake violently. He's at her side in an instant, knowing the voice of the real Ladybug when he heard it. "Y-ou gotta smash my yoyo." she says at the outline of a purple butterfly forms around her eyes. She closes her yes tightly, blocking out Hawkmoth as best as she can.
Chat attempts to pry the yoyo from her hand but her grip is too tight to free it. "I can't!" he pants.
"Ladybug, you will fall to me!" Hawkmoth growls in her head and she can already feel herself losing her grasp.
"Chat, you gotta stop me!"
"What?"
"Just do it!" she yells as she writhes. She collapses towards the floor; Chat catches her in his arms just as her eyes snap open to a new burning, purple glow.
"Thanks for the catch, sweetie." Antibug mocks as she flips out of his arms, kicking him back in the process.
He regains his step and extends his staff, "I'm sorry, LB." he swings it around, ready to deliver a decisive blow.
"Not so fast!" she exclaims before throwing her yoyo into the air, "Anti-charm!"
The charm forms and in that moment, Chat leaps and hits the yoyo with his staff from midair, right out of her hand. He lands on the second floor and crushes the yoyo under his foot; A purple butterfly emerges. Chat pulls out a jar and catches it for now.
Below he watches as the purple smoke clears, revealing his Ladybug back to normal. She looks up to see him on the balcony. Before she can say anything, Chat interrupts her, "M'lady, the anti-charm!" he points to a black-spotted screwdriver by her feet. She quickly understands, throwing the charm into the air, she proclaims "Miraculous Ladybug!" sending streams of flower petals around the school, freeing students and fixing her yoyo.
Chat tosses down the fixed yoyo to his partner before releasing the akuma. She catches it swiftly, soon releasing the purified butterfly into the air.
He leaps down beside her, "Remind me not to get on your bad side." he teases.
She pulls him into a hug, "Thanks for saving me." she says sincerely.
He pulls her closer, "It was that scary, wasn't it?" she nods into his shoulder. "Well, it's over now, I got ya." he whispers, "Don't scare me like that again, and never ask me to hurt you, that's a promise I can't keep." he says cradling the back of her head.
Her Miraculous beeps. "Oh, I better go." she releases him from the hug, "Till next time!" she says before she runs off.
"Yeah, next time." Chat smiles to himself before running in the opposite direction.
