Simplicity: Chapter 3

The sun shone down on the school as Marinette and Alya walked back across the street from the bakery where they had enjoyed lunch and each other's company. The day had truly turned into one of those blissful Parisian days were it should almost have been considered a crime to remain indoors as the constant gentle breeze ruined any chance for the day to get hot and stale. This, coupled with individualized attention from Adrien had Marinette deciding this was a "perfect day".

Adrien smiled brightly up to Natalie and the Gorilla before bidding them goodbye and hopping out of the car. Adrien's smile, if at all possible, seemed to grow brighter upon catching sight of his secret number one Ladybug suspect crossing the road with Alya in tow. Adrien waved enthusiastically in order to get their attention. Unfortunately, it must have worked too well as Marinette tripped over the curb of the street whenever they made eye contact. Adrien chuckled as Marinette danced frantically in order to keep her balance. "Hey guys! How as lunch" Adrien asked as the inseparable duo made their way over to him near the stairs of the school. "Lunch was wonderful" Alya gushed. "I even managed to score me a bag of cookies for the road" Alya nearly squealed as he held up the zip lock bag filled with cookies that appeared to be intended for a much longer road than the one that led from the bakery to the school.

Adrien's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked at the cookie bag Alya produced longingly. "Say, you wouldn't happen to want to share one or two of those with a friend would ya" Adrien asked hopefully. Alya narrowed her eyes playfully "I have killed for less Agreste". Adrien smiled nervously as he nervously held his hands in front of himself defensively "I'm sorry Alya! I think I'll listen to my dietician this time and not mess with your cookies". Alya laughed while putting them back in her bag "I was planning on sharing with Nino" Alya said honestly before a mischievous grin settled on her face. "You know Adrien, Marinette has some too. Maybe if you ask nicely she will share with you" Alya sang while giving Marinette a sideways wink that seemed to ask "Who is the best wingwomen ever".

Marinette squeaked as Adrien's hopeful eyes fell on her. "I would share love with Adrien…I mean love to share them with you Adrien" Marinette panicked wildly she pulled her bag of cookies from out of Alya's larger bag. Adrien's green eyes lit up as Marinette's statement pleased him in either order Marinette decided to go with, although her final answer to her own statement meant he would just have to go through with his plan to expose her for the Lady she was. 'This is awesome' Adrien thought happily as Marinette extended her open cookie bag out for him to take one. "Thank you Marinette! You are always so kind" Adrien said while he internally smirked 'My Lady'. Adrien mentally laughed as he happily took a bite of the still warm chocolate chip cookie as he could hear Plagg telling him not to get ahead of himself, but he was convinced. Plagg's ancient fortune cookie wisdom had to be correct. One does not simply experience that many coincidences and there not be a fire to cause that much smoke.

Alya grinned at Marinette as she put her cookie bag back in her bag along with her own bag of cookies. Alya's grin was short lived, however, as a dark shadow seemed to loom over them. The sound of something hitting the ground caused Marinette to look as she noticed Adrien had dropped his cookie and was looking from her to something across the street near the water. That's when the screams let Marinette know that something was not right. Marinette whipped around and narrowed her eyes fiercely at the dark purple trench coat wearing man that seemed to float above the river before gravitating towards the road to land. "Yes, Hawkmoth. I shall get you their Miraculous. Then I will make her pay for humiliating me, The Detective" he said to the air as if Hawkmoth were standing next to him.

Adrien studied Marinette carefully while, using his modeling skills, to fain fright upon seeing the latest akuma that Hawkmoth had unleashed upon Paris. 'That is not how I would expect a civilian to act when an akuma shows up' Adrien though as Marinette seemed to realize she was glaring at the villain. "A-another one" Marinette pointed in painfully obvious manor that indicated she wasn't really shocked or scared even if her voice did a nice job at selling those emotions, her body language screamed it was fake. That was something Adrien took special notice of as Alya bolted for the bench to hide and film behind while Marinette took off down the side of the school. Adrien followed and smiled as Marinette ran into an alley. "So cliché Marinette" Adrien chuckled as he ran by the ally only to have Ladybug herself come flying over him.

Adrien's eyes widened in shocked amazement as he stopped and stared at Ladybug. Even though he had his suspicions and Marinette's score on the Ladybug chart was through the roof, it was another thing to, pretty much, have it confirmed. "Adrien" Ladybug whispered before she grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him in the same alley she had just come from. "I need you to stay here Adrien. It's not safe. I don't want you getting hurt. I'll come check on you when Chat and I have this akuma handled" She said confidently before she yo-yo'ed away to do battle with "The Detective". Adrien chuckled as he adjusted his ring "Well, well m'lady. It looks like we will both be pretty cliché today" Adrien grinned in delight as he opened up his jacket for Plagg to come out. "I'm so getting Camembert for his" Plagg whined. Adrien smiled apologetically "Sure thing…Plagg, Claw out" Adrien called as a green light enveloped him and Plagg was sucked into the ring.

Chat smirked as he used his staff to propel himself high above the alleyway and into the air. Chat landed skillfully on the roof of the school where he knelt down next to Ladybug "My, my, what do we have here? A beautiful Lady and a cat on a hot tin roof, sounds like romance to me" Chat grinned as Ladybug playfully rolled her eyes. "Chat, maybe now isn't the time for your usual silly shenanigans. We have an akuma to catch" Ladybug stated as she studied the akuma. Chat pouted "Ah, ok…but I'll only tone it down a little. A cat's still got to have fun you know" Chat said with a wink. Ladybug, despite herself, grinned at Chat's irrepressible antics. "I think his akuma is in his magnifying glass" Chat said seriously which caused Ladybug to eye him curiously. "What makes you think that Chat Noir? I mean, isn't Hawkmoth getting a little big smarter than putting it in their weapon by now" Ladybug asked in wonder. "Maybe, maybe not. His weapon appears to be the ranged type, so he doesn't have to get close. See" Chat pointed as another civilian was his with a ray from the magnifying glass that caused the poor man to yell out his secrets. "It would seem we should not get hit by that, or else I will finally know My sweet Lady's identity. Which isn't really a bad thing, it just wouldn't be as fun for me. I enjoy a good hunt. It would also be unfortunate for old Hawky found you out too" Chat chuckled. Ladybug just flicked his bell and murmured "Keep hunting kitty" before she jumped from the roof and into the fray, yoyo whirling threateningly

Chat watched in amazement as Ladybug darted around with such grace and speed, all while dodging the blasts sent her way by "The Detective". "I'll know your identity and have your Miraculous! No secret is safe, no job is too hard for "The Detective" he screamed as he continued to blast away at Ladybug. Luckily enough, it appeared that if he spun her yoyo extremely fast, that it blocked the blast like a shield might stop projectiles. "All I have to do is wait. An opening will present itself and this cat will have himself a prize to bring home" Chat almost purred as Ladybug continued to dance around "The Detective".

Ladybug's frantic dance seemed chaotic and frantic to the onlookers watching the battle from safe vantage points, Chat knew "Purfectly" well what his Lady was doing as Ladybug's dance slowly drove "The Detective closer to the school all the while ensuring his back was turned to the school where he would not see Chat waiting on the roof, patiently biding his time. "Excellent work m'lady" Chat purred to himself as he eyed his target, the magnifying glass, with growing anticipation as his tail swished from side to side demonstrating his growing unrest and desire to pounce upon his unsuspecting prey. That's when Ladybug tripped over a students abandoned backpack. Ladybug fell hard to the ground as the yoyo rolled just out of reach. Ladybug looked up while holding her head in her right hand, while shaking her head to clear it from the impact with the ground. "I have you now Ladybug" "The Detective" crowed as he pointed his magnifying glass at her. "Give me your Miraculous, and I won't expose you here" He promised in vain as taking the earrings would expose her anyway.

Time stood still for Chat as now was the time. He could feel it in his bones as his cat instincts, acquired from Plagg, screamed "NOW! JUMP NOW". Chat silently whispered "Cataclysm" before his coiled legs exploded with all the power of a spring finally being released from hits compression. Chat flew through the air towards "The Detective" silently until he was almost on him. Chat howled "Cataclysm" at the top of his lungs, despite it not being necessary since he had already called upon his power. However, the desired effect was achieved as "The Detective" turned and essentially handed Chat the akumatized item. Chat landed gracefully with his back turned to Ladybug and "The Detective" as the magnifying glass began to be enveloped by Chat's destructive power. The magnifying glass cracked once before shattering into many smaller pieces on the ground.

Ladybug had taken the opportunity Chat's dynamic entry had offered her by snatching up her yoyo. Ladybug smiled as she snatched up the dark butterfly with her yoyo, purifying the butterfly before she released it with her signature "Goodbye little butterfly". "The Detective" bubbled purple before revealing an average looking man in his mid-thirties wearing a regular brown trench coat. "Where am I" He asked in shock as he stared up at Ladybug and Chat Noir. "You're going to be alright now sir" Ladybug said kindly as she helped him to his feet. "Ya, we had to stop you before you went detecting our identities. That would be absolutely clawful for us. Imagine all the fan mail and paparazzi" Chat joked which only earned him a skeptical look from Ladybug. "Thank you…I would hate to hurt people. My job is to help people" the man said before walking over to the police for questioning as they desperately hoped for some insight into Hawkmoth that never came.

Ladybug froze as she looked around at some of the damage that had been caused. "Chat…how do I fix the mess if I didn't have to use my lucky charm" she asked quizzically. "Maybe you can just say it anyway, m'lady? I mean I just have to say "cataclysm" for it to work for me" Chat noted. Ladybug pondered this for a moment "Well, you were right about the magnifying glass" She said skeptically. "Miraculous Ladybug" she cried as she through her hands in the air. The Miraculous Cure instantly went to work as millions of little ladybugs seemed to fix the damaged caused by the battle. "Hmm, what a clever kitty you are" Ladybug said playfully as she scratched Chat under the chin which earned her a light purr of contentment. "Well Chat, it's been fun, but it's time for this bug to bugout" Ladybug said as she turned to go. Chat reached out and grabbed her wrist and whirled her around for a hug. Ladybug froze as Chat whispered "M'lady, I don't think this cat's done with the hunt just yet. I want to find you" he said with all the sincerity he could fit into mere words.

Ladybug pushed herself away from Chat as she searched his eyes and found only honest hope that she would not tell him, but allow him to search for her himself. Ladybug smiled fondly at Chat and caressed his cat ears "Good luck with your hunt kitty" Ladybug whispered before stepping away from Chat and yo-yoing away from the scene. Chat stared at her, half disbelieving that Ladybug had agreed to allow him to find her. The hunt was on and his anxiousness had his tail whipping again in anticipation. A beeping sound brought Chat out of his thoughts as he gave the oncoming media, and Alya, a two fingered salute "Sorry, maybe next time. This cats gotta scat" he called as he vaulted away to the alley.

Chat landed and whispered "Plagg, claws in" to drop the transformation. Plagg tiredly drifted over to Adrien's jacket and with a tired whine stated "Wake me up when there is Camembert". Adrien chuckled as Plagg nestled down in his pocket for a nap. Adrien jumped when a noise behind him indicated someone was coming as he quickly closed his jacket. Adrien sighed in relief as Marinette came from the far end of the alleyway. She froze before running up to Adrien. "Are you Ok Adrien? You didn't get hurt did you" Marinette asked frantically, to Adrien's amusement. "I'm fine Marinette. I think Ladybug and Chat Noir must have done it because I heard people cheering a second ago" Adrien said with a knowing smile. Marinette smiled back softly and thankfully upon hearing Adrien was unharmed despite the alleyways relatively close proximity to where the battle took place. "I'm so glad" Marinette said happily. "Wait, where is Alya" Marinette asked as her best friends habit of being up close and personal to akuma battles dawned on her for the first time since the battle began. "I'm sure she is back over at the school with an awesome video" Adrien smirked knowing Alya was fine and had a great spot to catch his "cataclysm" on film. "Let's go fine her" Marinette said worriedly as she ran out of the alleyway and towards the front of the school where the battle had taken place.

Alya stood on the steps of the school seeming to look for something as Marinette rounded the corner closely followed by Adrien. Alya's eyes lit up upon seeing Marinette as she jumped of the steps to hug her friend. "Girl! I got the best footage I have even gotten of an akuma battle! Ladybug was a bad women, as usual, and Chat Noir was a beast! Oh my goodness my Ladyblog is going to explode again! This is totally awesome! You gotta watch it you guys" Alya ranted as she pressed play and held the phone out for Marinette and Adrien to watch the battle from Alya's perspective rather than, secretly, their own. Marinette smiled as she watched Alya's excitement, but Marinette was even more relieved that her adventurous friend was fine despite being so close yet again. "You really need to be careful Alya, akuma are dangerous" Marinette chided softly knowing she would not win. Alya smiled warmly at her friend "Thank you for worrying about me Marinette, but you know I'm dang good at what I do. Besides, Ladybug and Chat Noir are there, so I should be more than safe" Alya reasoned happily as the video came to its conclusion.

Alya grinned widely "Marinette! I know you saw that last part! What did I tell you! I even got me some LadyNoir action! That hug! This is the best video ever" Alya continued to gush as she saved the video for the fifth time since the battle ended. Marinette gave Alya a pat on the shoulder "I'm sure it's not what it looks like" Marinette said with a light blush dusting her cheeks and nose. Adrien, having a great vantage point to witness Marinette's blush in all its glory from the steps of the school smirked. "I don't know Mari," Adrien said mischievously as he used a shortened version of her name for the first time "It seemed pretty LadyNoir to me". Adrien relished the stutter reaction from Marinette as she could find no words to say aside from cute little incoherent noises. "I'm a pretty big LadyNoir fan myself" Adrien grinned "I think they are pawsatively meant to be" he said with a chuckle as Marinette groaned at having to deal with not only her friend shipping her with her partner, but now her crush too? "Great, just great" Marinette whispered in mock exasperation as she smiled at Alya and Adrien's happy smiles.

Alya whooped in excitement at the announcement that the rest of the school day would be cancelled due to the akuma attack frightening many parents and students alike. "Great akuma battle film, LadyNoir evidence, and now no school for the rest of the day? If I were old enough I would get a lottery ticket" Alya giggled gleefully as she turned to Marinette and Adrien. "What are you guys doing? Do you want to hang out to celebrate" Alya asked again getting a mischievous glint in her eyes as she eyed Marinette and Adrien. "You don't even have to ask me Alya" Marinette giggled at her friend as she made such a big deal out of the school day being called off early. Adrien grinned apologetically "I'm sorry guys, but I'll be busy. Unfortunately fencing practice doesn't care about akuma attacks and I'm sure my dad will want me home to get my homework done". Alya frowned as her latest plan to get Marinette and Adrien together crumbled, but she quickly picked back up and smiled at Marinette "Well, looks like it's a girls day" Alya joked. "You could ask Nino to hang out" Marinette and Adrien offered together causing Marinette to blush and Adrien to grin broadly. "I would, but he's sick. So, girls day out it is" Alya said sadly knowing that her "friend" was sick.

Adrien smiled at Alya and Marinette "Well, I guess I better scat. Fencing is supposed to start right after school, so I'm sure it will start early given we don't have classes" Adrien said as he waved goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow Marinette" Adrien called over his shoulder leaving a flustered Marinette behind as Adrien had singled her out. Alya chuckled "Girl, you got it so bad" as she grabbed Marinette by the shoulders and marched her back to her house for movies and, hopefully, more cookies.

Adrien hid behind the staircase as he watched Alya lead Marinette back to her home above the bakery. "Plagg, I got her permission. I'm going to find her. I'm going to hunt her down. It makes it pretty simple now that I know who I need to focus on" Adrien grinned in an extremely Chat Noir fashion as he made his way to the gym for fencing practice where he spent his time mentally planning the hunt of his beloved and ever so doomed Ladybug.

This chapter just flowed! I truly hope you enjoy this as much as I do! Stay tuned as see what Adrien "Chat" Agreste has up his sleeve for his bug!