Okay, so I know it's not August anymore, but I wasn't able to find the prompt calendar until now (and I was in Germany for like, all of August) so I'm going to do the days now. Sound good? Nein? Ok, tschüss!
If you're still here, yay! Thanks!
And without further ado-
Day Ten- 'I Dare You...'
"Truth or dare?"
Ladybug swung her legs back and forth over the railing. The two superheroes were pearched on one of the higher levels of the Eiffel Tower after their latest patrol. It was chilly, being fall, and the only lights came from the city below and the moon above.
Ladybug hummed. "Dare."
Chat poked his cheek in thought. "I dare you to tell me your favorite color."
Ladybug frowned and looked at him. "That's not how you play."
He shrugged sheepishly. "I've never played before."
Ladybug frowned out at the city, wondering what kind of childhood he'd had, never playing Truth or Dare before. She decided to let this one slide. "It's okay, Chat. My favorite color is pink. Truth or dare?"
He thought again and said, "Truth."
"Okay, Im going to show you how this game goes. When you say 'Truth' I ask you a question and you can't lie. When you say 'Dare,' I say something like 'I Dare you to kiss a pigeon, I don't know." He nodded.
"Ok. So, Truth."
"Hmm." She didn't want to ask something that might accidentally reveal his identity. "Do you like coffee?"
He made a face. "Ew, no."
Ladybug laughed. "Me neither. Your turn."
Chat was quiet for so long she wondered if maybe they had stayed too long, and he fell asleep. But then he broke the silence with,
"I dare you to switch kwamis with me for a week."
She turned to look at him in shock.
"What? I wanted to go big or go home."
"Maybe we should have gone home." Ladybug muttered to herself.
"Fine."
"Woah, really?"
Ladybug scowled at him. "Believe it or not, but I can't turn down a dare. No matter what."
Chat grinned and reached to take off his ring. "No! Wait! I will not have our identities revealed because of some stupid Dare. We are going to face different directions. Our kwamis can do the trade."
He pouted and stood up, twirling around dramatically. Ladybug rolled her eyes and did the same. More modestly.
"Tikki, spots off."
"Plagg, claws in."
Twin flashes of green and pink light and Adrien and Marinette were standing on the deck, respectively.
"Ladybug, are you sure this is a good idea?" Tikki asked worriedly.
Marinette sighed. "Sorry, Tikki. You know how competitive I can get."
Tikki sighed and drooped a bit as Mari reached up and took out her earrings. She paused.
"Wait, Chat."
"Yeah?"
"Are your ears even pierced?"
"... Not yet?"
Marinette groaned. "You're going to infect my miraculous. Ugh. Why."
Adrien laughed as he slid off his ring and handed it to an evilly grinning Plagg.
Marinette slowly handed Tikki her earrings with a disgusted cringe.
And then there was another Kwami floating in front of her, a little black mass of something. Bad luck, from the way Chat Noir always talks about him.
"Awe, you're kind of adorable..."
"Thanks, name's Plagg. Nice to meet you. I like Camembert. Take the ring." With that he thrust the silver ring at her. She took it, careful not to drop it, and spent a few moments trying to figure out which finger it would fit on without falling off. Turns out, even her thumb was a little too small.
"How does this ring even fit you?!" Marinette exclaimed.
Adrien shrugged, even though she couldn't see it.
"I'm Tikki. I'm also very disappointed. In both of you!" The last part she yelled so Marinette could hear, but she only received another resigned sigh in response.
"This is going to hurt."
There was a sharp mewl and Marinette jumped.
"... Chat...?"
"Owwww that really hurt. Your Kwami is mean." He cried, cradling his ear while Tikki moved to the other one. He really hadn't thought this through- his father was going to kill him.
Once both the earrings were in, he saidan experimental "Spots on!" And grinned when his clothes were replaced by red spotted spandex.
"Wicked!"
"Wait, how do I transform again?"
"Claws out!" Plagg and Adrien-Ladybug said together.
"... Plagg, claws out?" Marinette squeaked. She was really not liking this. Not one of her brightest ideas, that's for sure.
She looked down at her hands, now covered in black leather and tipped in sharp claws and groaned. "I changed my mind. Give me back my earrings."
"Nope!" Ladybug chirped, popping the p. "That's not how the game woo-oorks!"
Chat Noir glared and turned to look at her partner. "How would you know?! You've never played before!"
"Well, true. But I'm not taking these earrings out till the end of the week. I'm not going through all of that for nothing."
Chat noir groaned. "Just don't forget to clean your ears three times a day with rubbing alcohol. Or peroxide."
"Don't worry..." a laugh escaped him, "Chat Noir."
Chat Noir scowled our at Paris as her partner doubled over in laughter.
Chat Noir landed shakily on her balcony, throwing her arms out to catch herself.
A baton was a lot more difficult to use than it looked. Even harder than her yo-yo had been. She had nearly died taking off from the Eiffel Tower. But of course Chat Noir- er, Ladybug- had to go and be a natural at the yo-yo right off the bat. It just wasn't fair what that boy could do without even trying.
Chat Noir opened her skylight and jumped down onto her bed, meanwhile calling out a soft, "Plagg, claws in!"
She de-transformed as she rolled across her bed, almost hitting the floor on the other side.
Plagg fell onto her comforter. "I need camembeeeeeert." He whined.
Marinette scooped him up in her hands.
"I'm really sorry, but we don't have any Camembert. Would cheddar work for now? I can try to get some Camembert tomorrow. If I have enough in my piggy bank..." she looked off in the general direction of where she had last seen said piggy bank.
She turned back to Plagg and softly rubbed her pointer finger on his forehead.
"My name's Marinette, by the way. But don't you dare tell Chat Noir that! ... Please?"
Plagg merely nodded. He was too busy soaking up her coddles.
"Cheddar will work... for now. But, well, if you don't have enough money for Camembert that's okay too." Plagg sighed. He really loved his Camembert. But apparently Pigtails had better kitten eyes than Adrien did.
"Ok, cool. I'll be right back!" She tucked him into a little cozy corner that must have been Tikki's before dashing off- presumably towards the kitchen.
Plagg hummed. "I like this girl."
Meanwhile, at the Agreste Mansion...
"So... What do you eat?" Adrien asked carefully as he sat on his couch. Tikki was curled up on one of the throw pillows next to him. Plagg's cheese cravings were something to be reckoned with, and he could only hope Ladybug's Kwami had better taste than expensive, stinky cheese.
"Cookies. Chocolate chip, preferably." Adrien let of a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. Urm... You wouldn't happen to know how to make those... would you? I can check the kitchens, but I doubt we'll have any. Model diet and all."
Tikki shook her head. "I miss my charge's chocolate chip cookies." She sighed.
Adrien sunk deeper into the couch. He was a despicable human being. "I'm sorry. It was a bad dare..."
"It's okay, Adrien. Just don't try to figure out who Ladybug is, okay? We can always get cookies from some bakery."
That seemed to brighten his mood. "Oh, I know! We can go to my friend Marinette's bakery! They're the best in Paris!"
Tikki was both happy and worried to hear this. On one hand it would mean she would get to see Marinette more. She already missed her. But on the other, it seemed like a dangerous idea. But she couldn't refuse without setting off alarms, so she agreed.
"That sounds like a good idea. I don't know if I've had their cookies before."
Adrien gasped as if this were some monumental sin. "No way! The Dupain-Chengs make the best sweets in the whole world! It's a crime that Ladybug hasn't been taking you there!"
If only he knew... Tikki grumbled to herself.
And back to the Dupain-Cheng Patisserie..."Do you want me to make you a little nest to sleep in? Tikki usually just sleeps on my pillow, or in my hair sometimes. But apparently I move a lot, so that might not be too good an idea."
Plagg looked at the jumbled mess of blankets on Marinette's bed. "I'll just sleep on one of the pillows. Cats don't like nests."
"Oh, alright then, makes sense." Marinette said as she climbed into bed. Once she was situated, she reached over and turned off the light.
"Goodnight, Plagg." She yawned. Plagg settled himself on her pillow, just above her head.
"Yeah, Goodnight."
That was a bad idea. Plagg woke with a start, zipping out of the way as Marinette rolled to her other side. She definitely hadn't been lying. Plagg grumbled as he tried to find a new spot to lay.
This was going to be a long week.
Marinette woke with Plagg tucked under her chin. He was purring slightly, a ticklish yet calming sensation. She had always wanted a cat. Or a hamster.
Now she had one? Kind of.
She groaned and looked at the time. Almost noon. Thank God for Sundays.
Plagg perked up. "You're finally awake? I'm starving. And you sleep late. Like, I'm not reallygoing to complain, because I haven't slept this late since I got my new charge-"
"Stop!" Marinette said urgently. "You can't tell me anything!"
Plagg paused. "You're just like Tikki."
Marinette blinked, then frowned. "I love Tikki."
"Sure, sure, everyone does. But she's a party pooper."
"I'm not a party pooper!"
He put his paws on his hips (do kwamis have hips?) and raised a brow at her. "Oh yeah? Give me one reason you're not."
She thought for a moment before exclaiming, "I stole Adrien Agreste's phone!"
Plagg spluttered and nearly fell out of the air. He started cracking up. "Wait, really? The stupid model kid?"
It was Marinette's turn to splutter as her cheeks burned. "He's not stupid!"
Plagg shrugged. "Sure. If you wanna say that. Anyways," he waved his paw at her, "Why'd you steal his phone?"
Now let's get something straight- Plagg is a troublemaker. Everyone knows this. He was having a field day with this Kwami switch. Especially since Ladybug seemed to be crazy for his charge. If the pictures tacked all over her wall(s) had any indication.
"I-uh- well, you see-!" She stammered.
"Spit it out, Pigtails."
"BecauseIwastryingtocallhimtoaskhimoutbutthenIchangedmymindbutmyfriendAlyahitcallanywaysandthenImadeafoolofmyselfandcalledhimHotStuff. And then I had to delete the recording. So I stole his phone. There, not a party pooper." She said triumphantly, ignoring the raging blush.
Plagg tried to hold in his laughter. Really, he did. But in the end he was curled on the floor, choking around his giggles.
"It's not funny!"
"You're right- it's hilarious. Say, how in love with this kid are you?" Plagg asked, flying back up to be level with Marinette. Well, before she fell off her loft bed.
He chuckled as she groaned and rubbed her back. "W-what? Pffffffffffffffft. I'm not in love with him. What are you talking about? Love? Ew. Boys? Cooties."
"So that's why you have his face plastered all around your room?"
Marinette's jaw dropped, her eyes darting over to the afformentioned incriminating images. "I-I've been m-meaning to take those d-down..."
"Have you?"
Plagg waited for her answer.
"Never." She said stubbornly.
He laughed again. "Ok, Pigtails. I believe you're not a party pooper. Why don't you say we do something fun? My charge never does anything fun." Marinette have him a warning look. "I know, I know- I won't give anything away."
Marinette thought about it for a moment, looking at her clock again. "... Alright. What did you have in mind?"
They're off to play some pra-anks, wonderful pranks from Plagg."This was a bad idea."
"This is a great idea!"
"How did you even know he would be here now?"
Plagg gave her a look. "I saw your pull down chart."
He cackled at her shocked expression. "Not. A. Word." She growled.
"What? I'm going to tell Adrien Agreste that you're in love with him? Not likely." Plagg had a plan, okay?
Marinette sighed and quietly hopped up the stairs to the school. Even though it was a Sunday, the school was open- for fencing practice. It hadn't started yet, but it would soon so Marinette had to be quick.
Plagg's idea of a wonderful prank?
Put pink semi-permanent hair dye in Adrien Agreste's fencing helmet.
So that's how Marinette found herself squeezing the entire contents of a bottle of pink hair dye into a helmet while Plagg kept watch.
"Are you sure this is the right head gear?" Marinette asked for the fifth time.
Plagg sighed. "Lighten up, Pigtails. I'm positive. And even if it wasn't, who cares? It'll still be funny."
"What if he gets in trouble? He'd hate me forever!"
Not likely. Plagg thought evilly with a grin. "Eh, something tells me it'll work out eventually."
Marinette shuddered. "Eventually. I hate that word..."
"Quick, someone's coming." Plagg said. Marinette squeaked and grabbed Plagg, dashing into the bathroom.
"Plagg, claws out!" She whisper-yelled, transforming into Chat Noir and throwing herself out the window as she heard the door to the locker room open.
"That was close." She sighed, pole vaulting across the street and landing on her balcony. She checked for any watchful eyes before dropping down onto her bed and detransforming.
Pink Adrien, one of the many origins stories...
Adrien walked into the locker room and to his locker, opening it up and grabbing out his bag. Maybe if he hadn't been so preoccupied with the Kwami he was talking to, he would have noticed the awful smell in his head gear before he slid it on.
"Yuck! What the-" Adrien carefully pulled the helmet back off, peering in distastfully at the pink goo.
"Oh no." Tikki said.
"What? What is it?" Adrien panicked. "Is it bad? Is it going to burn my hair off? My skin? Tikki, am I going to die?!"
"You're going to dye alright..." Tikki sighed, putting a paw to her forehead. She had a feeling she knew exactly who had planned this, and exactly who had done it.
"What?!" Adrien shrieked.
"I meant dye, like d-y-e. That's hair dye, I think. Probably pink."
"... So you're saying I'm going to dye and I'm going to die because my father will kill me."
"... Sure." Tikki wasn't all that worried, he did have her luck now, but she was going to let the boy go through his meltdown.
"Oh, this, this is a catastrophe." Adrien mused.
"You're puns are bad."
"No, they're purrfect. Wait, I need ladybug themed puns now, though. 'Everyone's going to go buggy for this new look.' No, that's not right. 'Too bad this isn't a computer, I'm great at de-bugging those.' There! That's the one."
"I hate puns."
"Is that why Ladybug hates puns?"
"She doesn't hate puns- i mEAN-"
"Whaaaaaaaaa?! So... she's been lying to me all this time? What a... Chat."
No. stop. Why do all of the Chat Noirs love puns? Why me?"
"You can't have all the luck, Tikki. Now let's go wash this stuff out."
In Mme Bustier's class on Monday...
"Hey, Adrien- woah, dude. Buddy. Whatcha... whatcha doing? What's going on with your hair?" Nino said, looking oddly at his friend as he stalked to his seat.
"I accidentally dyed my hair pink. No worries, it's not permanent." Adrien sighed.
He heard a laugh behind him and turned in time to see Alya elbow a pink Marinette. Not pink in the way he was pink, but pink in the way she was all the time.
"I-it looks r-r-really g-good in y-you, Adrien. I-I mean, you look ho-err, uh! You l-look, you look..." she trailed off with a splutter, her head hitting the table with a loud smack.
Oh my goodness, Marinette, are you okay?" Adrien asked.
She nodded into the table silently. With a concerned frown, Adrien slowly turned back towards Nino. His friend shrugged.
Unsurprisingly, Hawkmoth akumatized someone...
"Hey Ladyb-" Chat Noir said as she turned towards her partner. She stopped, mouth still open and cocked her head to the side. "What'd you do to your hair?"
Ladybug tended at first, seemingly irritated, before shooting her a cocky grin. "I thought I'd look good in pink. What do you think?"
Chat Noir raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down. "I think it clashes with the red. You want your suit back?"
Ladybug shook his head. "Week's not over yet, Chat Noir."
Chat Noir groaned and followed Ladybug to the akuma.
It wasn't a very difficult akuma. Some teen had gotten angry at their mother and decided to freeze all the women of Paris into stone statues. But considering Ladybug was a guy and Chat Noir was a teenage girl like her, she left them alone.
Even though we all know Hawkmoth was being a whiny baby and yelling at her the whole time.
Ladybug called the Lucky Charm only so they could reverse the damage, and then plucked the girls cellphone from her hand as she dramatically pointed it at someone. He tossed it to Chat Noir who used her cataclysm for the first time, and pulled out his yo-yo.
This is where things got difficult.
Ladybug, having never had to capture or purify an akuma as of yet, poked angrily at the yo-yo.
"Ladybug! Quick, purify the akuma!"
"How do you open this thing?!" He yelled as he aggressively jabbed at the yo-yo.
"It's flying away...!"
"Halp!"
"Ladybug, you swipe your finger up!" Chat yelled.
"Ohhh." He did as the original Ladybug told him to and the yo-yo flipped open.
Chat Noir face palmed in the background as Ladybug almost managed to purify himself.
Let's give the poor beans a break.
Friday at school...
Marinette groaned as she walked into class behind Alya. It had been a long week. She couldn't tell you most of what happened because everytime she thought about another wreck of an akuma attack or botched patrol she would shudder and forget what the conversation was about.
She sat down in her desk and put her forehead on top of her hands, groaning again.
Alya laughed and patted her shoulder. "You sure you're alright, Girl?"
Marinette just groaned again.
Adrien and Nino walked in soon after and took their seats. Adrien's hair was back to its original lemon gold color (after a lot of aggressive scrubbing with expensive shampoo).
"Hey Guys- Maribro?" Nino said with concern. "You okay, dude?"
Marinette feebly nodded into the table, too tired to even give another groan.
She fell asleep at some point. Alya nudged her awake when the bell rang but once she sat down again in her next class, her head hit the table and she was out again.
Halfway through the class, she was finally starting to come back to life. Her right arm slipped off the table, and with that the extra lose miraculous ring slipped right off her thumb.
Now she was awake.
Marinette gasped and shot up, nearly tumbling straight off the chair as she dived to catch the ring. Adrien turned at the small commotion behind him, and instinctively reached down to grab whatever it was that Marinette had dropped.
They reached for the ring at the same time, colliding their heads together. Adrien hissed in pain as Marinette fell on her butt, rubbing her forehead.
"Ow. I-I'm sorry, A-A-Adrien! It's this stupid ring!" She grumbled. "It doesn't fit right and the gosh darned thing keeps falling off and-" Adrien stopped listening as he looked at said ring he had scooped up before it could keep falling down the stairs. His eyes widened and his jaw went slack. He didn't even notice the teacher scolding them for causing a commotion, because the ring he had just picked up-
"This is mine!" He whisper-yelled to himself in shock.
"W-what?!" Marinette squeaked. Adrien looked back at Marinette who was still sitting where she had fallen with a hand on her red forehead and the other keeping her upright.
"Ladybug?"
Marinette passed out.
There! Finally done! Not going to even say how long that took to finish, ehe...