Falling

Adrien sat at the desk in front of his computer. A video played on one of the screens, but he wasn't paying attention. His mind was focused on the events of the afternoon.

After their customary fistbump, Ladybug looked down the street, her brow creased with concern.

"What's wrong?" Cat Noir touched her arm lightly as he asked.

"I was thinking about that boy from earlier. I hope he's ok..."

Cat's hand dropped from her arm and fell at his side like a lead weight. She was worried about Felix. The uneasiness returned, but Adrien tried to tamp it down. "Oh, I'm sure he's just fine," Cat Noir said, keeping his voice light.

"I hope so. I didn't see him at the intersection when I picked up your stick, so I'm assuming his parents got him away from here."

Green eyes blinked as realization dawned. "Ooooh, you meant the boy in the crosswalk!"

"Yeah..." Ladybug cocked her head to one side, puzzled. "Who else would I mean?"

"Oh, er, well," Cat stammered. He ducked his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved hand. "I, uh, kind of thought you meant that guy from earlier, at the school?"

Her face contorted in a look between repulsion and exasperation. "Him again?" With some effort, she schooled her features into a neutral expression, not before earning a confused look from her partner. She let out a quiet chuckle and placed her fingertips against his forehead. Pushing him away playfully, she murmured, "Silly Kitty."

While Cat Noir practically melted in a puddle at her feet, Ladybug winked and swung away on her yoyo.

Adrien's cheeks glowed a faint pink at the memory, and he touched his fingers to his forehead lightly, a dopey grin on his lips. Ladybug's irritation over his brother still boggled him, but that small interaction had been enough to soothe his worries at least for the moment. It almost seemed like she knew him, but Adrien was sure that must be impossible. Felix had only just returned to Paris and changed considerably in the time he was away. Even Adrien had barely recognized him.

Lost in his thoughts, Adrien almost missed the rustling just below his bedroom window. He perked up and turned to the kwami sitting on his bed, paws full of stinky Camembert. "Did you hear something, Plagg?"

Plagg looked up, and his ear twitched. "Hear whath?" he managed, mouth full.

Adrien's brow furrowed, and he moved to the window. Popping it open, he leaned out and stared into the gardens below. The sun had dipped behind the wall surrounding the manse, cloaking the flowers below in shadow. Adrien squinted, but without his transformation, his eyes couldn't see anything in the evening twilight. He stood there a moment, listening, but the garden was silent. With a shrug, he hummed thoughtfully to himself and turned away, not noticing the glowing violet eyes that peered out of the darkness after him.

School the next day was relatively uneventful for Marinette, probably in large part due to the absence of a certain rude blonde. Chloe Bourgeois's father, the mayor was planning some big event that night for Jagged Stone, and Chloe had gotten out of school to "help". No one was surprised that Sabrina was also missing from role call.

Unfortunately, Marinette's streak of being on time for school was broken that morning, so Alya had to wait until lunch to grill her about Adrien's brother. Marinette didn't hold back and went off on a tirade about how arrogant and unpleasant Felix was, much to the unnoticed amusement of the green eyed boy eavesdropping nearby.

Afternoon classes sped by, and they were released for the weekend. The design competition was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, so Marinette was anxious to get home to work on her piece. She had almost made it home when a nearby commotion caught her attention.

With a sigh, she ducked around a corner into an empty alleyway. Her purse popped open, and Tikki zipped out, hovering at eye level. "Another akuma?" she squeaked mildly in her ever-cheerful voice.

Marinette nodded. "Hawkmoth is working overtime lately. This is the third one in three days!"

Tikki giggled softly. "A hero's work is never done."

"I guess not." They smiled at each other. "Let's go! Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug caught up with the akumatized victim on the roof of Le Grand Paris. It was a woman this time, with short dark hair that stuck straight up from her head and a dark purple tinge to her skin. She wore a black bodysuit topped with a red leather jacket. A matching red mask obscured her face from view.

In the streets below, people ran from the building, trying to get away, but the victim simply held up a purple and black clipboard and casually wrote something on it. The people stopped in their tracks, spun around, and began lining up in an orderly fashion. Their movements were clunky, as if their actions were forced, and the expressions on their faces were strained.

Cat Noir landed nimbly on a nearby rooftop right next to Ladybug as she surveyed the scene. "Hello there, Ladybug. We seem to be in high demand the past few days."

"A hero's work is never done," she echoed Tikki's words with a secretive grin. "It looks like she can control people with that clipboard. The akuma must be in it." She gave her partner a pointed look, a small smile playing on her lips. "Be careful. I really don't want to have to fight off your advances again if you get controlled."

Cat Noir's hands flew up to his chest just over his heart in mock anguish. "You wound me, milady! For your in-fur-mation, I'm always careful." He grinned and winked at her.

Ladybug suppressed a laugh and quipped back, "Quit pussyfooting around, and let's take care of this akuma."

The pair vaulted themselves over to the hotel rooftop and landed near the akumatized victim. She turned to them, a wicked smile on her lips. "Well, well, well, Ladybug and Cat Noir." She paused to glance down at her clipboard. "You're right on schedule."

"Let those people go!" Ladybug demanded, twirling her yoyo threateningly in front of her.

"Oh, I think not," the victim replied, meeting Ladybug's eyes. She lifted her hand, pen hovering over the clipboard. "I'm in charge of this event! It will go according to my plans, not some little blond brat's. I'm the agent here!"

Marinette groaned inwardly. She didn't even need to ask to know which "blond brat" was being referenced. Chloe strikes again, she thought, but who this time...? An image of Jagged Stone's agent swam into Ladybug's vision for a moment, overlaying the woman before her. "Penny?"

"I'm not Penny! I'm the Coordinator! It's time to put my plans into motion, starting with your miraculouses!" She touched her pen to the clipboard.

Ladybug's yoyo shot out toward her, but the Coordinator scribbled something before it hit her. As if pulled by an unseen force, Cat Noir leapt between the two, and the yoyo wound itself around him. He fell to one side, the tension on the string pulling it from Ladybug's hand. She stumbled backward.

Her feet hit the lip around the roof's edge, and unable to right herself, she tumbled over it. Without her yoyo, she had no way to stop her descent. She fell through the air, flailing her arms and legs, but the ground continued to speed up on her. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for a rather uncomfortable landing.

A/N: It's always Chloe... Thanks for reading!