Lila had left, the younger kids were in bed, and the only noise in the apartment was Nora loudly counting pushups in her bedroom. Nino led Alya over to the couch and pulled her down next to him. "OK, babe. You've been quieter than usual since we got home. Let's talk through this." He took his girlfriend's hands in his and waited, his eyes searching hers.
Alya took a deep breath, then another. Her mouth opened, and then she shut it. She took off her glasses and closed her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed on Nino's arm. Seeing Alya like this - strong, confident, optimistic Alya - was so alien to Nino that he had a hard time deciding how to process it. Be brave. Be strong. Be her hero. He scanned the room for butterflies - just in case - while he waited for Alya to be able to find words.
"I couldn't stop it," Alya whispered.
Nino rubbed circles into the backs of Alya's hands and waited for her to continue.
"I couldn't stop it, and I had to sit there and watch you.... You got the shell up in time to save me, but I couldn't do anything for you, and I just… sat there. I couldn't even get any revenge on the akuma for hurting you because I was in the shell. Which I'm grateful for, don't get me wrong… but man, right now I just feel absolutely useless as a superhero." The words flowed out of Alya like water from a dam that was about to crack. Nino knew Alya was under a lot of pressure. All the heroes were under pressure lately. Between akumas and sentimonsters and helping out for non-magical disasters, they were in demand. And when they showed up, they had to perform. There were no second chances for the heroes, not since Stoneheart.
Nino squeezed Alya's hands, "Babe… I'm OK. Ladybug fixed it. She always does. It's an occupational hazard -"
"That's fine that she fixed it but Nino I sat there and watched you die. I swear, if Hawk Moth ever learns how to do multiple akumas again, Rena Rage would have shown up in a heartbeat. And that would have made it even more difficult for Ladybug. You -" her voice hitched, and tears came unbidden "- you never would have come back. Honestly, Nino, if I have to sit here and watch you get hurt every time I put the mask on, I'd rather go hide. I used to idolize superheroes… but nobody tells you what they have to go through." Her eyes fixed on the logo on Nino's shirt. "I need to be stronger, and I'm not sure if I can get there."
"Babe, if that's all you're worried about right now, I can help you. Let's lean on each other. I've got your back in and out of the mask. We can do this… together." He squeezed her hands again for emphasis.
"I'm going to need the help. Everything just feels like it's falling apart. If it were just today, I could probably handle it. Probably. But with how bad yesterday went, things just feel like they're piling on one after another. First, some idiot is out there posting stuff as the Ladyblog. If I ever get my hands on them, I'm gonna smack them across their face for taking my good name. And if I didn't know any better, I think that post was designed to make Chloe mad so someone would get akumatized! Nobody else in Paris would have that reaction. There's gotta be somebody who knows just how bad Chloe is doing and feels like they can help it along."
"Wait a minute." Nino failed to suppress a chuckle. "You're saying that Hawk Moth is becoming a social media wizard?"
"I mean, I wouldn't rule him out, you know? He's had it in for Chloe for a while now. First with Antibug, then again with Queen Wasp, then using her family against her on Heroes Day… I don't know why Chloe doesn't go to New York with her mom for a while and lay low. It would probably do everybody some good."
"Dude… remember what Marinette told us about Chloe's mother? She didn't even remember her own daughter's name. If you're looking for Chloe to get a break, I'm not sure sending her to her mom's place is the best option." Nino smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Alya chuckled. "You're right, of course. I guess we're stuck with her here, then. How on earth are we going to do this, Nino? She's a wreck! We're all wrecks here. Especially Ladybug, because we have to wake her up every time there's an akuma, which is almost daily at this point. I tried so hard yesterday, but I couldn't stop Chloe and her butler got akumatized, and I had to sit there and not do anything because even though the akuma didn't take me out it's not like I was effective just standing around and puking on my boots every time I looked at him! Aaaaaagh! What are we going to do?"
The count of "two hundred thirty-nine, two hundred forty" came from down the call as Nino and Alya fell silent.
"Babe, how about we try - and hear me out on this - being Chloe's friend? It's not supposed to be a job going over there… and even though we are on duty, maybe we can make it fun? Or better yet… we can be Chloe's friend outside of the masks, too." He put his hands up when Alya opened her mouth. "Hear me out, babe. We tell Chloe all the time that she doesn't need the mask to be a hero! We can be heroes outside of the masks, too - and I don't just mean by doing parkour every now and again. Let's try to be Chloe's friend and see what happens."
"I'd rather face a thousand Hawk Moths… you know that, right?"
"I know, babe. But we've gotta do something. How about you treat her to a manicure or something?"
Alya huffed, but there was a smile on her lips when she did it. "Maybe I'll leave that one up to you. But either way, you owe me big time."
"Tikki? Here, I've got more cookies for you… here… eat as many as you need! Please… don't go to sleep on me just yet; we need to talk." Marinette was sitting at her desk, piling cookies in front of her kwami.
Tikki's eyes were half-lidded as she sat next to Marinette's mousepad, struggling to finish her cookie and stay awake. She nodded and kept chewing, waving her hand in a manner that Marinette took to mean go ahead, I'm listening.
"We need to get to Hawk Moth soon, Tikki. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. I mean, I love being Ladybug, don't get me wrong. I love saving Paris. But he seems to be getting more and more desperate with each akuma. And there are so many, Tikki… you're exhausted, I'm exhausted… I'm just worried that some day soon we're going to mess up bad." Tikki finished the cookie she was eating. "Do you want another one?"
"Not yet, Marinette, thanks." Tikki paused to yawn. She looked like a kitten when she yawned. Ordinarily Marinette would think it was cute, but she had seen Tikki tired so much recently that she just felt bad for her instead. "Hawk Moth is getting more relentless, it's true. But I believe in you and your ability to stop him!"
"Tikki, I have no idea how we're going to do that at this point! We keep stopping him, sure, but stopping him for good?"
"Maybe you can ask Adrien how to do that."
Marinette waved her arms. "Adrien wouldn't know! He was sent back in time because Hawk Moth got worse, not better! Besides, he wasn't even there at the battle." She knocked over a cup of sketching markers on her desk, scattering them around the room.. She groaned and started picking them up.
"You should go ask him why, Marinette."
"Ask him? It's Adrien… I mean, he's not my Adrien, but still, it's an Adrien… and you know how Marinettes act around Adriens, Tikki. Future or no, that boy has some sort of power over me and you know it!"
"Why don't you show me how you act around him, Marinette? Go pay him a visit." Tikki floated up and nudged Marinette on the shoulder.
Marinette narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You're really set on me visiting him, aren't you?" She sighed. "It's not like you've ever steered me wrong in the past, Tikki. I think I will go visit Adrien. Spots on!"
The trip to Adrien's hideout was relatively uneventful. Ladybug swung down to help a young couple whose dog had gotten off-leash recover their pet. Traffic was heavier than usual, necessitating a more roundabout route. She landed in an alley convenient to the old Agreste warehouse. "Spots off." Marinette checked to see if anybody was watching, then stole to the warehouse door and rapped sharply on it.
The door opened and Adrien - looking very sleepy - peered out. He opened the door wider and beckoned Marinette to enter. When Marinette came in, he closed the door and went over to the cot, where he plopped down theatrically. "What brings you by?"
"Where were you today?" Marinette tried her best to keep the note of hurt out of her voice but failed. "You are supposed to be here to protect me, and I could have used it."
Adrien reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah - yeah, about that. I was transformed and on my way to see you when, uh… let's just say something happened, Bug. I'm not the best with the yo-yo and remember your first time out as Ladybug? How you got all tangled up and stuff? Picture that." He grinned, but there was something off about it that Marinette couldn't place.
"What is it with everybody calling me Bug all of a sudden? And… when did I tell you about my first time out as Ladybug? That was easily one of the top ten mortifying moments in my life that didn't involve you!" She started pacing back and forth. "This is a…"
"Disaster, yes." Adrien interrupted.
Marinette stopped pacing and glared at him.
"Except it's not a disaster at all, Bu- Marinette. It's really not. You - Future You - obviously trusts me enough to know all this stuff about you. Present You should maybe start to wonder why?"
"Present Marinette isn't even sure that she trusts you, Ladybug gear or not."
"Fair. Other than saving you from being akumatized and helping you with that akuma last night, how can I prove it to you?" Adrien was smiling. The corners of his eyes crinkled as the smile lit up his gorgeous face. It was definitely Adrien - or someone who was very good at masquerading as Adrien. What could only Adrien and Marinette know? He tapped his square jaw with his index finger. "You used to obsess over me. You had notes about my schedule on your schedule. That first time when Gigantitan was akumatized, you were stalking me with your friends to set up a situation where we would have a romantic date… and then you turned me down when I offered you a ride home."
"You could have heard that from any of the girls." Marinette folded her arms.
"OK, fine… don't make me play my trump card. Let me try this instead. Your flavor at André's was peach pink like his lips and mint like his eyes…"
"You weren't there when that happened, so you had to have heard that from somebody."
Adrien rolled his eyes and sighed. He beckoned Marinette closer. When she got close enough, he sat up and whispered in her ear.
Marinette flushed a million shades of crimson. There was no way that Adrien would know that unless he had seen it in person. Marinette squeaked. She was so warm that she thought she wouldn't be warmer if the sun was swallowing the earth - not that she'd mind that happening, either. Disaster? Yes. This totally qualified as a disaster.
And Adrien - beautiful, funny, kind, Adrien - was laughing at her.
Maybe disaster wasn't strong enough. This was more like a major cataclysmic event. Her mind idly wandered to what it would be like to be Chat Noir and wield his power just long enough to make a giant hole for herself to crawl into and disappear forever.
Chat Noir landed as quietly as he was able on the balcony of Le Grand Paris. He shielded his eyes and put his face to the glass of the window, straining to see if Chloe was in there. It was technically past the time when Chloe Duty had ended for the evening, but he had promised her that he would check in with her after the battle was over. He pressed his face closer, hoping that his enhanced night vision would reveal something that would reassure him.
There. A figure underneath bedsheets that was moving gently and rhythmically up-and-down. He listened closely with his cat ears and heard light snoring. Asleep, then. A sleeping Chloe was a safe Chloe, as far as he was concerned. He turned away and leaped into the Paris evening.
