Ladybug dropped down, snatched the pen and broke it in half. She then quickly caught the akuma and set everything back to normal with a pit in her stomach.
Would Chat remember who she was? Samantha ran off, clutching her book and newly fixed pen as she ran. As much as Ladybug wanted to join her in running away, she stayed and stared at Chat as he shook his head.
"What was…? Was I a puppet again?" He asked in that somewhat cute, somewhat annoying voice he had. He then noticed the worried expression on Ladybug's face. "Cat got your tongue, Bug-a-boo?" He asked with a smirk and a wink.
Ladybug smiled, figuring that he didn't remember. "Only in your dreams, Kitty." She said. Her earrings then let out a loud beep. Her eyes widened. "Guess I'd better bug out." She said.
"But we were just starting to have fun." Chat said as Ladybug threw her yoyo and soared into the sky away from him. Chat watched as she went. He was rather upset about something, but hadn't let it show. He knew that something had happened, though. The way Ladybug looked at him told him that he'd done something while he hadn't been in control. He never could remember what went on when an akumatized victim used their power on him. Like with Dark Cupid, Puppeteer, and Princess Fragrance he had no recollection of what he'd done. Somehow, this felt different than all of those other times. He knew, though, that when he let the transformation fall, Plagg would likely tell him what happened.
The little Kwami was always making fun of him for what the akumatized victims made him do. He quickly made his way to a secluded rooftop and let go of the transformation, turning back into Adrien. "Where's my camembert?" The little black Kwami asked immediately. "I'm starving."
"I didn't even use my cataclysm." Adrien said with a shake of his head.
"And how would you know?" Plagg asked.
"The ring wasn't beeping at me." Adrien said simply. "What happened?" He asked.
Plagg regarded him for a moment. "You fought Ladybug, what did you think happened?" He asked. Adrien felt like the Kwami was holding something back. "Now, I'm starving!" He insisted.
"Did I do anything? Ladybug looked at me like...like she was scared." Adrien said.
"Look kid, if you could remember then you'd never get me that camembert." Plagg said.
"I'm not going to get it if you don't tell me what happened." Adrien said.
"I told you. You fought Ladybug. The Storyteller wanted you to get Ladybug's miraculous." Plagg said. Adrien knew his Kwami well enough to know this was a lie. Plagg would normally make fun of him for what he did or how he got beaten by Ladybug. He was never this serious.
"You took Ladybug's miraculous." Plagg said after a moment.
"No I didn't. She was still Ladybug by the end of the fight." Adrien said. "If I took her miraculous, she would have turned back." He said. "There's no way." He said.
"Believe what you want. I know who the love of your life is, kid." Plagg said with a laugh.
"No you don't. How would she have still been Ladybug, then?" Adrien asked.
"She tackled you and took the earrings back." Plagg said simply.
"That didn't happen…" he trailed off as the sun set behind him. He was sure Nino, Alya, and Marinette were probably worried about him. They had all been having lunch at a café when the pile-up occurred, cluing him into a possible akuma attack. He needed a little bit of time to think, though.
"It totally happened. And you didn't even bat an eye!" Plagg said, suddenly laughing.
"No camembert." Adrien said, causing Plagg to stop laughing immediately.
"Hey! It's not my fault you don't remember her." The little Kwami said indignantly.
"Tell me about her?" Adrien pleaded.
"She's got black hair and blue eyes." Plagg said and Adrien rolled his eyes.
"I know that, Plagg." He said.
"There you go. You know about her." The Kwami said evasively.
"How old is she? What does she look like? Do I know her?" Adrien asked.
"Look, kid, I'm not going to out Ladybug. You're going to have to do that on your own." Plagg said.
"At least tell me if I know her." Adrien said.
"Of course you know her. You fight with her every other day." Plagg replied.
"That's not what I…" Adrien trailed off as Plagg zoomed into his shirt pocket, sensing someone coming.
"A-Adrien Agreste, right? Your friends are looking for you." Ladybug said. Adrien had no idea how she could charge her Kwami so fast.
"Hi." He said, words suddenly escaping him. Without his mask he just wasn't confident around her. He couldn't be.
"Let's get you down to them. How did you get up here to begin with?" She asked.
"That akumatized woman sent me up here." He said, not able to think of any other excuse. Ladybug nodded.
"Sorry about that." She said. She then reached out an arm to him. He took her hand and then she pulled him close. "H-hold on, Adrien." She said as she wrapped one arm around his waist and flung her yoyo with her free hand. She deposited him swiftly and safely on the ground in front of the café. Alya and Nino were peering out of the window in awe.
"Can I get an interview?" Alya nearly shouted as she ran out of the café. But Ladybug was already gone.
"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asked. He could have sworn that he heard his Kwami chuckle.
"She went to look for you." Nino said as he patted Alya on the back. "One day she'll stay for an interview." He muttered at his girlfriend.
"Oh, th-there you are Adrien. W-what h-happened to you?" Marinette asked.
"The Storyteller sent me away. It's okay, Ladybug found me." Adrien said.
"That must have been scary." Marinette said with wide eyes.
"It wasn't so bad." Adrien said. He then heard an audible laugh and could feel Plagg squirming in his pocket. The others looked at him and he forced a few laughs. "Maybe we should go." he said.
"Yeah, I should probably be getting home." Marinette said.
"We can walk you it's not that far." Adrien said.
"I just remembered we have a thing." Alya said.
"What?" Nino said. Alya shot a glare at him. "Oh, right...that thing. We can't be late for the...thing." Nino said as Alya grabbed his hand and dragged him away.
"Alya." Marinette called after her friend.
"You'll be fine, Girl. Adrien will make sure you get home safe and sound, I'm sure." Alya shouted over her shoulder.
Adrien turned to Marinette and she instantly blushed and plastered a huge smile on her face. "Hey, maybe we can play some Ultimate Mecha Strike III when we get to your house." He said as he started walking with her.
"Yeah. We could." She said.
"I've still got this." Adrien said, holding up the charm that she gave him. "I've been wanting to put it to some good use." He added with a smirk. Adrien could still feel Plagg laughing as they walked, but luckily for him, the Kwami kept quiet enough that the sound didn't escape Adrien's pocket. When they got to Marinette's house, she said hello to her parents. They greeted Adrien warmly and offered him cookies which he gladly accepted. Plagg squirmed in his pocket. "Do you have any camembert?" He asked Marinette's father.
"I think we might." Tom said and disappeared into the back. He came back with a small slice of the stinky cheese.
"Thank you." Adrien stated as he and Marinette went up to her room. He carefully snuck the cheese into his pocket as stealthily as he could.
"It's nice of your father to let you out without your bodyguard." Marinette said shyly.
"Yeah. Then again, I think I'm old enough to protect myself." He said with a smile as Marinette turned the game on. The two played in near silence for a few rounds. Marinette would celebrate a little every time she won and then when she saw him looking at her she would sink down into her seat, blushing and with an embarrassed smile. Adrien couldn't help but to smile at her.
"Guess this doesn't work anymore." He said with a smirk as he held up the little charm.
"Guess not." Marinette said with a short laugh. "Adrien. I…" Marinette trailed off. Adrien prompted her to continue. Marinette looked out of the window. "It's getting really dark." She stated suddenly. "Y-you should probably go home. Before your father worries." She said.
Adrien looked at the window and nodded. "I guess I'll call the Gorilla." He stated. Marinette smirked and nodded. After the phone call they played another round and Adrien went back to his father's house and his ridiculously huge room. Plagg flew out of his pocket. "What was that all about?" Adrien asked.
"What was what?" Plagg asked.
"Why were you laughing?" Adrien asked.
"I think you were hearing things." Plagg said.
"Who's Ladybug?" Adrien asked.
"If you opened your eyes, you would know." Plagg said.
"Can you at least tell me if I know her?" Adrien begged.
"She doesn't want you to know who she is, kid." Plagg replied. "She's probably ecstatic that the only people there were you and that akumatized victim. She knew neither of you would remember." He added.
"Why can't you tell me who she is?" Adrien asked.
"The same reason that I haven't told you for the last three years." Plagg said. "She doesn't want you to know." He added.
"You've known this whole time?" Adrien asked.
"I can feel Tikki when we're close together." Plagg stated. He then clarified that Tikki was Ladybug's Kwami. "It took a while to figure out who it was, though." He said.
"How could you not have told me?" Adrien asked. "So, I do know her in regular life?" He suddenly realized.
"Kid, you've got no idea." Plagg stated as he dug into the camembert that was on the table in the middle of the room.
A/N: You guys are so gonna be angry when you read the chapter that I'm writing now. Well, angry or happy. It depends. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.