Ok so I edited the last chapter and this chapter. It was going a way I didn't like, so now we're back on track. I hope.

"Who do you think Adrien was talking about?" Marinette asked Tikki as she tried to plow through her homework. Being a superhero has really made a dent in the time she had to procrastinate.

Tikki placed a paw on her cheek and hummed. "I'm not sure."

Marinette sighed and let her head fall down on the desk. "Ugh, Tikki. What am I going to do? What if Adrien starts dating this girl? How will I be able to face him?"

Tikki tilted her head. "What if you tried to take a step back from Adrien?"

That made Marinette pop up. "What?! Step back from Adrien?! How could you say that?"

Tikki shrugged and flew closer to make eye contact with her charge. "I think you and Chat Noir would make a good couple. You already make a great superhero team!"

Marinette groaned. "Tikki! I can't believe you!" She couldn't help the giggle that escaped. "Could you imagine? Me giving up on Adrien to date the flirty lost stray?"

"Well you are the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous holders. That means you have a strong connection. Most holders end up together romantically if they aren't already connected somehow."

"... No."

"Think about it."

"Never."

"I think he loves you."

"I am madly in love with Adrien Agreste, and I will never love another!" Marinette yelled dramatically, jumping from her chair to point decisively at the ceiling.

This caused the two to dissolve into giggles. Which, of course, were interrupted by a loud boom and some screaming.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette called into her otherwise empty room. A bright flash of pink light filled her room before clearing to reveal Ladybug.

She took her yo-yo off from her hip as she flipped up through her skylight. Waiting a second for another scream to show her which way to go, she hooked her yo-yo onto a building a few roads over and was on her way.

It didn't take long, and soon she had landed on the street next to Chat Noir. Her conversation with Tikki made a reappearance, but she quickly shoved that away.

"Hello, M'Lady." He greeted cheerfully.

"Chat Noir." She said simply. "What's the verdict?"

"He calls himself 'The Ringmaster.' If he hooks a ring around you you're forced to do circus tricks. And probably be his little army if it comes to that."

Ladybug grimaced. "Let's not get hooked, then." And with that she was in motion again. She attacked the akuma relentlessly with her yo-yo, but almost every hit was blocked by the Akuma's large golden ring or staff. Ladybug figured the akuma was probably in the light wooden staff with the green crystal ball at the top.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! Are you here to enjoy the show? I have some of the best trained performers in Paris! Give me your miraculouses or join them!" The Ringmaster yelled, followed by a scary laugh. His dark maroon embroidered coat flapping in nonexistent wind. His white under shirt seemed to be the only part of his uniform that was still in one neat piece.

Ladybug and Chat shared a look before splitting off. Chat ran up the side of the buildings to the left while ladybug used her yo-yo to swing around the right side. The Ringmaster stepped out of the way, causing the two to smash into each other and roll across the street.

"Get up." Ladybug grunted, shoving at Chat's shoulder. Which was a lot harder than it looked. The heroine blushed at the position and took her hand off his shoulder. He rolled over and the two were on their feet again. Ladybug grit her teeth and started spinning her yo-yo at her side, recalculating their options. Also trying to ignore the way her face still kind of burned. Chat stood to her left, waiting for her word.

"Maybe we can get him to catch himself in his ring, and then I can grab his staff with the yo-yo." Ladybug said. Chat nodded once before taking off towards the akuma.

"Why don't you show us some of your tricks?" He said, flipping over the akuma. The ring followed him, but hit neither. Ladybug cursed and ran towards them, using her yo-yo to tie The Ringmaster's ankles together. He roared angrily while Chat continued to beat him with his baton.

Finally, with a last quick circle around the akuma, The Ringmaster's golden ring went over his own head, pinning his arms to his sides.

Ladybug pulled her yo-yo back, making him twirl around while she wound it up behind her.

"It looks like he's gone full circle!" Chat said. Ladybug chose to ignore him and instead swung her yo-yo towards the staff. But before she could pull it from his grip, The Ringmaster stepped out from the ring, using his staff to pull the yo-yo from her hand.

"How did he do that?!" Ladybug yelled.

"Maybe it's like those magic shows, with the two rings but there's like a fake part?" Chat offered, jumping to avoid the swing the akuma took at him.

Ladybug merely groaned before charging the akuma. She blocked the swings he took at her and got in a few kicks and hits of her own before she was able to snatch her yo-yo from the staff. She darted back and spun her yo-yo to block the rings he shot at her.

"Chat!" She yelled in warning when The Ringmaster's attention turned to her partner. He managed to catch the rings on his baton, flinging them back at the akuma.

It was then that The Ringmaster yelled something neither caught, and shot them an evil smile before taking off.

The two superheroes exchanged confused glances before a roar was heard. Chat's ears went flat as they turned around.

Charging at them up the street was an assortment of circus animals, ranging from monkeys to large tigers and lions.

"Run!" Ladybug ordered, and they took off. When she caught up to Chat's side, she grabbed him around the waist and hoisted them up and over to the nearest roof.

"Now what?" He asked as she quickly let go. She wasn't going to let Tikki's words worm into her head. She had an Akuma to focus on, not how it felt to have Chat at her side-

She called for her lucky charm. Chat waited and kept watch while she used her special power.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What'd you get?" Chat Noir asked.

"A safety pin."

"Great. So we might get eaten by larger versions of me, but at least our burial clothes will fit. If there's anything left to burry."

Ladybug sighed. "Don't be so dramatic." She looked around, waiting for the plan to form.

"Got it." She said as soon as the dots- or spots- connected. "We need to draw The Ringmaster back here. Over by that antiques shop." Chat nodded as she finished telling him the rest of her plan.

Once he had lured the akuma back to where Ladybug had said, Chat Noir flipped back to his spot as he pulled the safety pin from his pocket.

Undoing the pin, he stuck it in the elephant in front of him. The elephant made a disgruntled noise before charging.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with safety pins?" Chat chuckled. He watched as The Ringmaster turned in anger to see the elephant charging him. It ran him right over, knocking the staff from his hand. It rolled across the street until Ladybug stopped it with her foot. She lifted her foot in the air and cracked it in half with her heel.

The little black butterfly fluttered out as Ladybug wound up her yo-yo.

"Time to de-evilize!" She yelled, capturing the akuma. "Gotcha!"

"Bye bye little butterfly!" She said. She had the safety pin again (the powers of her lucky charm were still too weird for Chat to fully comprehend) but she soon threw it into the air, yelling,

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Chat sidled up next to her, putting his fist in the air between them. She knocked her own fist against his as the crowd cheered.

"Ladybug! Ladybug, can I get an interview?" Alya yelled as she ran over. "Chat Noir, what did you do to the elephant?"

Ladybug's earrings beeped and she looked at him before grabbing her yo-yo again.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to answer questions. Bug out!" She said, taking off through the night air. Chat watched her go for a few moments before turning back to the press.

"Alya!" He turned when he heard Marinette yell as she ran towards her friend.

"Shh, Mari I'm about to get an interview! So, Chat Noir, what did you do to that elephant?"

Chat shot a playful wink at the girls before answering. "I poked it with a safety pin."

"Was that Ladybug's Lucky Charm?"

Chat nodded. "Sometimes they are really random or obscure objects, but they haven't failed us yet."

"Do you think they ever will?"

"Nope. I trust in M'Lady's luck."

Alya smiles brighter at that. "Does she have extra luck from her powers?"

Chat thought for a second. "Yes?"

"Does that mean you have extra bad luck? To balance out Ladybug's?"

"I believe so."

"Wicked." She said before stepping back to talk with her blunette friend.

"Alya, you really should have stayed farther back!" Chat could hear her chide the reporter. He frowned as he wondered if that's what Marinette had been doing. Had she run to the fight when she was always telling Alya to stay home? Was she here to look out for Alya? And where had she been hiding?

"Sorry Mari, but you know I can't not record a fight!"

Marinette grumbled something he didn't catch as she led Alya away. But before she went, she shot a quick look over her shoulder, as if trying to see if anyone was watching her. Chat made sure she didn't catch him looking.

There was something she was up to, and he was gonna find out what.

Edited: October 24, 2018