Chapter 12: Glaciator
"It's no good! The brakes are busted!" shouted the panic-striken bus driver.
"Ready, Cat Noir?" asked Ladybug, perched beside Chat Noir on the top of the bus.
"I'm always ready, my lady. Who needs brakes when they have us?" said Chat.
In an amazing feat of coordination, they tethered the bus with Ladybug's unbreakable yo-yo string to Chat Noir's staff, extended between two light poles. The bus stopped, right before it would have hit a woman crossing the street with her baby. The thankful passengers got out and shook hands with the heroes.
It was nice to do something heroic that didn't involve akumas for a change, Chat thought. With akumas they always ended up using Lucky Charm and Cataclysm, and they had to rush off with no time to talk. He really needed to talk to Ladybug now.
"So, uh, Ladybug? What would you say if you and I met up tonight for a little dinner? Rooftop style?" asked Chat.
"For dinner? As superheroes?" asked Ladybug.
"That's right. We're only together when we're saving Paris. I mean, wouldn't you actually like to get to know one another?" asked Chat.
"I... That's so thoughtful of you, but I can't. I have to, uh, I already have plans with some friends."
"Well, if your plans end early, come and join me."
Later in the day, he got a text from Alya, inviting him to join a group of friends to get ice cream at Andre's famous stand. He gave the excuse that his father wouldn't let him go. In fact, he was freeing up the evening for his Ladybug meeting. He thought Marinette might cut the social evening short because of Adrien's absence, which would give more time for Chat Noir.
Dinner was lonely, sitting at the big dining table by himself.
"There's no point in waiting for your father, Adrien. He'll be eating in his office," said Nathalie.
Was there a hint of grim satisfaction in the way she said it? He wasn't sure. Nathalie kept her emotions under such tight control that she was hard to read.
"Then what's the point of keeping me here if he's never gonna show up, Nathalie?"
Nathalie nodded. "Don't forget to practice your piano before you go to bed."
Back in his room, Plagg came out and complained, "You could've at least grabbed a piece of Camembert on that platter!"
Adrien tossed him a piece of the cheese. "Fuel up, Plagg." He also fed Duusu with a couple of the dinner rolls.
Since he thought Nathalie might listen, Adrien started a pre-recorded practice session playing on his cell phone, and placed it on top of the piano.
"Adrien may not be allowed out of the house, but Cat Noir is!" he told Plagg.
"You seem in a hurry to get stood up," said Plagg.
"She didn't say she wasn't coming," said Adrien.
"But she didn't say she was either!" said Plagg.
"I expect she will come, Master," said Duusu. "She cares deeply about you."
"Plagg, Claws out!"
Chat made a romantic setting with candles on a rooftop balcony. He wanted to make things as nice as possible, considering the difficult things they had to talk about. The chosen site was near Marinette's home so he could watch for her return.
He waited a long time; he extinguished the candles. Marinette finally came home, but she didn't transform and come to him. He gave up waiting and came up behind her on her balcony, where she was staring out into space.
Cat Noir said, "Hello."
Marinette turned around with a gasp. "Chat Noir?"
"Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"What are you doing here? Don't you have, like, superhero-y things to do?"
"No, I don't feel like being a superhero tonight. And I also don't feel like being alone tonight. Would you mind if I hung out here for a little while?"
Marinette nodded and smiled. Chat had to decide: how well did he know her now in this persona? When he saved her at her birthday party, he had pretended not to remember her name. He had said something like "You must be a cool girl to have your friends defend you like this." But he had heard the Befana call her "Marinetta," which was close enough.
"Marinette, right? We've bumped into each other before," he said, with a touch of humor.
"Yeah, a bunch of times," said Marinette.
Once or twice is not a "bunch," Chat thought. How will she talk herself out of that?
"I mean- yes! We have. One time a super villain fell in love with me. Talk about bad luck," said Marinette.
(So with Befana, the Evillustrator, and that time in the subway when the Puppeteer reactivated Lady Wi-Fi, that was three. Good enough.)
"I've had some bad luck in love, too," said Chat.
"Really? What was it?" asked Marinette.
"Well, tonight, I had a serious talk planned with Ladybug."
"So, what was this serious talk?" asked Marinette.
"It doesn't matter. She never showed, now I'm bummed out about it," said Chat.
"It sounds like we both could use some cheering up tonight," said Marinette.
"Hey, come with me," said Chat, extending a hand. "Close your eyes and hang on tight, okay?"
Marinette hesitated for a moment, then accepted his invitation.
In a minute, he had the candles re-lit and they looked out over Paris.
"Wow! Chat Noir, this is beautiful! But you look sad. I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault. I just need to talk to Ladybug because I'm worried about her."
"Worried?" said Marinette. Her eyes turned wide and anxious.
This was it. Chat took a deep breath and said it: "She's working for a guy, but I don't trust him. She called him Master."
"Um... I don't know him, but why would you not trust him if Ladybug does?" asked Marinette.
"He doesn't trust me, it seems like. I've never gotten to meet him. He's told Ladybug things that she can't share with me," said Chat.
"There could be reasons for that," said Marinette cautiously.
"Once he pretended he couldn't walk without a cane and I helped him stand up, as a civilian before I got my Miraculous. Then later I saw him walking without one."
"Maybe he was just testing you to see if you were helpful. He tested – I mean, it seems like a reasonable thing to do."
"I'm pretty sure he's the one who gave me the Miraculous. But I don't trust his motives. I think he's setting me against my family."
"What? Why would you say that?" asked Marinette.
The next big revelation was the point of no return. Chat went ahead with it. "My father is Papillon, and my mother held the Miraculous that is now being used by Le Paon."
"Your... your father is... I don't know what to say. But even if you're from a family of villains you were chosen to be a hero."
"My mother is no villain, and my father only went crazy after her lost her. My mother is missing now, kidnapped. Very possibly by people working for the Master."
"I think you should trust Ladybug. Talk to her, let her arrange a meeting with you and the Master. I'm sure it's all a big misunderstanding that can be worked out."
She didn't get it, and at the next opportunity she would tell the Master. Adrien made his decision.
A blob of ice-cream shot towards them. Chat deflected it with his staff.
From below came a song. "I'm Glaciator, the mean ice-cream man. Escape my fury if you can! I melted your hearts, but I was wrong, now I'll freeze your bodies. So long!"
"Come on, I'll get you back to your house," said Chat, extending an arm.
This was it. He deftly took her earrings as they vaulted to her house.
When they landed, Marinette stared at him. "I felt you touching my ears just now as we jumped. What did you do?" She felt her ears. "My earrings! Why?"
"I need them," said Chat.
"Oh no! Tikki was right when she said she saw you peeking. You know!" said Marinette with a shocked expression.
"I do know, but not because of that. I know because you got close to me when I was Le Paon and had true sight."
"There is no end to your surprises, is there? Come on, Chat Noir, quit messing around and give me back my earrings so we can fight Glaciator."
"I have a better way to stop him and all future akumas. All I need is a wish. I can change the past. If I get my mother back before my father was tempted to become Papillon then everything will be fine."
"No there's a balance – Master Fu told me. If you wish her back someone else will lose their mother."
"I'm sorry, it has to be done. It will free us both, and save Paris from all the destruction."
He took off his ring and placed it in his hand with the earrings. Doing this caused him to de-transform.
"Adrien? This is too much! Everything I thought I knew about you is a lie!" Marinette cried. "You're a monster like Papillon!"
Duusu flew out. "Master, I must warn you that this is a mistake."
Adrien recited the incantation he had learned. The ring and the earrings joined into one spotted ring.
"I hope we will still be friends when this is over," said Adrien.
"If you do this we are enemies forever," said Marinette icily.
Adrien put on the joined ring. A ring of purple light glowed around him. There was intense pain.
Adrien fought through it and shouted: "I wish that my mother was never lost from our family!"
There was a flash of blinding light.
