Who Needs Love?
Episode 25
Simon Says: You Have Her Smile
"Grounded? For what?!"
Marinette is in the living room with her parents, who are both scolding her after receiving a letter from her high school. The television is blaring in the background, making Marinette feel even worse, knowing that she should be at the TV Studio cheering on for Nino.
"Why don't we jog your memory, Marinette?" Tom asks, unfolding the letter. "Monday morning, absent from P.E."
"I was in… study hall," Marinette lies, laughing nervously. She casts a glance over to the TV, biting her lip when she sees Nino's smiling face pop up on-screen.
"Friday afternoon, absent from study hall," Tom continues.
"I was in P.E.!" Marinette blurts out.
"You're never where you're supposed to be, Marinette!" Tom scolds, putting the letter away. "The only way we can keep track of you is by keeping you here, grounded."
"But I was invited!" Marinette cries. "Nino's my friend, he was counting on me!" She turns around and frowns when she sees Nino preparing himself to DJ.
"I know Nino's your friend," Tom sighs. "But you should've thought about that before you started skipping class. Until your unexcused absences come to an end, that's the way it's going to be."
With her head hung low, Marinette walks all the way back up to her room, quietly shutting the door behind her. Tikki flies out of her holder's purse and sits on her right shoulder.
"Can you blame them? How are they supposed to know that you're missing class to save the world?" Tikki asks, patting Marinette's cheek with her little hand.
"I guess being a superhero comes with the consequence of being grounded. That doesn't seem fair though," Marinette sighs as she makes it to her computer desk. She turns it on to watch Nino DJ live from the studio.
"It's not fair at all," Tikki agrees, jumping off Marinette's shoulder and landing on the desk to watch the television show. "But you're only grounded for the weekend, right? If he wins, you can go see him at the show next week."
"I guess…" Marinette sighs, picking up her cellphone and dialing a number she's dialed too many times before. The person she's calling picks up after three rings.
"Hello?" says the voice on the other line.
"Hey, Alya," Marinette says into the phone.
"Marinette?" Alya asks, confusion in her voice. "Why are you calling? Aren't you watching Nino DJ right now? You should be enjoying the show!"
"Yeah, about that—" Marinette begins.
"Don't tell me you got into another fight with Adrien," Alya sighs. "What did he do this time—or what did you do this time?"
Marinette scowls. "First of all, I don't always start the fights," she says. "Second of all, I'm at home."
"What? Why?" Alya asks. "Hold up, let me switch to video-chat." There's silence before a live video of Alya at home appears on Marinette's phone screen. "Wow, you really are at home. What happened?"
"I'm grounded," Marinette groans. "My parents got a letter from the school saying that I've been absent too many times in class. They're getting the idea that I'm skipping."
"Marinette, I love you and all, but I have to side on your parents for this one," Alya says.
"Seriously? How can you say that?" Marinette cries, jaw dropped.
"Sorry, but I kind of get them," Alya says. "You're never where you say you'll be. Showing up late, sneaking off and all. It's like you're living a double life or something. You know, like superheroes."
Marinette's face blanches. "C-come on, you're exaggerating!" she laughs nervously.
"Victory! Challenge conquered by Nino. You moved your head to the beat, Mayor Bourgeois! That counts as dancing!" Alec, the host of the show, exclaims.
"What?! That's not true! My neck was… itching, that's all," the mayor, who's present on the widescreen in the studio, denies.
"I believe moving an inch to the beat counts as dancing!" Alec exclaims, walking over to the DJ. "Nino, congratulations. You'll return in one week to meet your next challenge! And now, for our next contestant, welcome Simon Grimault!"
Nino walks off-stage and walks up to Adrien, fist-bumping him in victory. "Awesome job, man!" Adrien exclaims.
"Thanks," Nino says, scratching the back of his head while grinning widely. His grin fades, however, and he looks around the area with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, where's Marinette?"
"Marinette?" Adrien asks. "She was supposed to come today?"
Nino freezes. "Uh, w-with Alya!" he blabbers. "I invited them too. Guess they couldn't make it." Adrien notices his best friend's nervousness, but decides not to push it. He shrugs it off and turns to watch the next contestant.
"So, Mr. Grimault, I heard you're a hypnotist," Alec says. "You use cards to hypnotize people to get what you want from them, am I right?"
"Y-yes, that's right," Simon says shyly, nervously shuffling his deck of playing cards.
"So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talent to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set! Give it up for the king of fashion design, Gabriel Agreste!" Alec announces.
Gabriel Agreste appears on the widescreen, and his face shows annoyance and anger. "What is this show? I was told this was an interview." Adrien covers his face—he already knows this isn't going to end well.
"Do your thing, Grimault! Let's see if you can bring Mr. Agreste here with your hypnotic persuasion!" Alec exclaims.
"I-I didn't mean it that way when I—" Simon begins.
Alec laughs. "A shy hypnotist! How funny is that, Gabriel?"
Gabriel Agreste's face remains stone cold. "Hilarious," he says icily. "Your show is pathetic. And so is your contestant. Control me? Never." With that, he ends the video call, leaving a disappointed crowd and a horrified hypnotist.
"That's my dad, all right," Adrien sighs.
"Looks like Mr. Agreste has turned on your challenge. Game over!" Alec tells the contestant.
"What?!" Simon cries. "But I didn't even get to—!" Before he could say anything else, he's ushered off stage and out the studio's doors.
"Ah man, that's rough," Nino says when the doors shut behind the poor hypnotist. "I feel bad for the guy."
"They could've given him another chance," Adrien says. Just as he's about to turn around to continue watching the show, the door swings open at full force, and a man clad in flashy purple and green stands at the doorway.
"Simon Says that the game isn't over!" the akumatized victim exclaims with a wicked grin.
"What on earth?!" Alec cries.
Simon Says picks a card from his deck. "Silence! Simon Says you're lame! As lame as a duck!" The villain throws the card at Alec, and when it hits him, he begins behaving like a duck.
Seeing that Adrien may be in possible danger, Adrien's driver decides to take action and starts running towards the threat. "Simon Says stop!" The akumatized victim throws a card at him, making him stop in his tracks. "Simon Says you're a gorilla!"
Adrien's driver turns around and pounds his chest just like a gorilla would. He charges at Adrien and Nino, who manage to dodge his attacks at the very last second. Nino hides behind a pile of equipment, and Adrien manages to slip out the door to transform.
"Plagg, we've got trouble," Adrien says, and Plagg flies out of his pocket, stretching his little arms.
"Has your dad always been a downer?" Plagg asks.
"He only started being this way when…" Adrien pauses, and shakes his head. "Nevermind that, let's just go save the day. PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!"
When Adrien transforms into Chat Noir, he sneaks back into the studio room and pole-vaults himself to the studio lighting ceiling.
"Gabriel Agreste turned on my challenge, and now he will pay for it! By midnight tonight, he will entertain us in this very TV studio. Gabriel, I'm coming to get you!" Simon Says cackles into the camera while standing on Gorilla's back.
"Dad!" Adrien gasps. He spots Nino crouching behind a box full of equipment, and brings a finger to his mouth to tell him to stay quiet. Chat Noir performs a flip in the air, and knocks Simon Says off Gorilla with one kick. "Chat Noir says shut up and give me those cards."
Smirking, Simon Says throws his cards, making Chat Noir leap at them almost immediately. While the superhero attempts to pick up every card, Simon Says screams, "My gorilla will take care of you. Simon Says knock him out!"
Gorilla gets hit with a card, and proceeds to charge at Chat Noir, who kicks the door open to avoid his hypnotized driver's attack.
"I may not always land on my feet, but I always bounce back," Chat Noir says, delivering a kick to Gorilla's stomach. His driver retaliates by letting out a howl and holding up a fist, and Chat Noir leaps out of the way before he could get hit. Gorilla ends up punching the wall, making a huge hole, and making Chat Noir gulp in fear. "Now I know why my dad hired you as my bodyguard."
Chat Noir extends his staff and jumps in the air, ready to hit Gorilla with it, but the hypnotized bodyguard manages to grab it. He pulls the weapon out of the hero's grasp and throws it aside, making Chat Noir twitch.
The hero strikes a fighting stance and says, "My sensei told me that—" Gorilla proceeds to grab Chat Noir, nearly crushing him under his grip. "—alright, I guess size does matter. Maybe I should've continued karate."
The elevator suddenly sings open, and a woman exits it, gasping in fear at the sight before her. Chat Noir's face breaks out into a smirk. "Oh hey, Ladybug," he says.
When Gorilla turns to the elevator, Chat Noir breaks free from his grasp, making him hit the wall behind him. Gorilla charges at him again, but the superhero successfully grabs onto one of his arms and flips him into the elevator.
"That's it! CATACLYSM!" Chat Noir screams, activating his ring's ability. He slams his hand on the elevator's button, making it malfunction, causing it to drop ten stories. Chat Noir picks up his staff, and his cat ear twitches when he hears footsteps. He extends his staff and spins it around, ready to hit the intruder. He drops his weapon when he realizes it's just Ladybug and Nino.
"Nice seeing you too, Chat Noir," Ladybug grins.
"Wish I could say the same," Chat Noir smirks, making her roll her eyes. "I thought you were Simon Says. Good thing I stopped before I hit you."
"I saw him! He's got a whole army together!" Nino cries.
"He's looking for Gabriel Agreste," Chat Noir says, worried for his father. "We better get to him faster than they can!" He groans when he hears the familiar beeping of his ring. "Great, not now…"
"Chat, you're about to change back," Ladybug says, pointing at his Miraculous. "Go charge up while I take one last look around for Adrien."
Chat Noir blanches. "Uh, n-no need! He probably got hypnotized," he says.
"But he's my friend!" Ladybug and Nino exclaim at the same time. Ladybug's cheeks turn bright red at her cry, and she turns even redder when Nino and Chat Noir look over at her.
"You know Adrien?" Nino asks.
"W-we've partnered up together before," Ladybug laughs nervously. "One mission's enough to call someone a friend, right?"
"A-anyways, I guess you're right. It's probably not a good idea to leave him behind without checking. Maybe he's hiding," Chat Noir says, shrinking his staff. "I'll leave you to look for him. Let's meet up at Gabriel Agreste's place later on."
Chat Noir runs out the exit, and transforms back into Adrien. "Uh, kid," Plagg coughs. "Bad news. I probably should've told you earlier, but I forgot."
"What's wrong?" Adrien asks.
"…I'm out of Camembert," Plagg says with a nervous laugh.
"What?!" Adrien screams. He covers his mouth and stays quiet for five seconds to make sure he hasn't alerted anyone before continuing, "How are you going to recharge?!"
"I thought I had a slice left, but," he scratches the back of his head. "I must've eaten it without realizing?"
"How do you eat something by accident?" Adrien groans. "Great, now I have to make up some kind of excuse as to why Chat Noir isn't here. And this is giving Ladybug a free point!"
"Sorry," Plagg says before flying into his holder's pocket.
"You should be," Adrien sighs. He goes through a door and finds himself running over a glass bridge, eyes lighting up when he sees Ladybug and Nino running towards him. "Nino!"
"Adrien!" Nino exclaims, sprinting to his friend and giving him a hug. "Dude, you okay?"
"I'm fine," Adrien assures. "I thought you left!"
"I wasn't going to leave without you, man," Nino says, slapping a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "You're my bro."
Adrien gives his best friend one last grin before turning to Ladybug. "Ladybug!" he says, walking up to her. "It's nice seeing you again."
"Nice seeing you again, Adrien," Ladybug says. When she smiles up at him, Adrien feels his stomach drop, and he turns away immediately. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm good, thanks for asking," Adrien says as he continues to avoid eye contact. "Anyways, we've got to get to my house now! My father's in danger!"
Ladybug nods. "We better hurry, Chat Noir's meeting us there," she says.
Adrien casts a quick glare at his pocket before saying, "I don't think that's happening."
"What? What are you talking about?" Ladybug blinks.
"If you're talking about the same Chat Noir who got hypnotized saving me, I think his visit's delayed," Adrien says. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, it's not your fault," Ladybug says. "That sounds just like him. He always puts other people's safety before his. Brave, isn't he?" Adrien turns pink at her compliments. "He charged up really fast. I wish I could do that…"
Adrien laughs nervously. "We should get going now, I have to warn my father!"
"Right," Ladybug nods.
"Knowing him, it's going to take some time to convince him to stay safe," Nino says.
"I hate to say you're right," Adrien sighs.
"Nathalie, where's my father? He's in danger!" Adrien exclaims the second he swings his mansion's doors open.
"He knows already," his father's assistant replies, stone-faced.
"Good evening, Ladybug," Gabriel Agreste says, standing at the top of the stairs. He completely disregards his own son and his friend. "What brings you here today?"
"Father, you have to get out of here!" Adrien cries. "That hypnotist Simon Says is coming after you!"
"What? And be dictated by a madman? Certainly not," Mr. Agreste scoffs.
"But father, he's dangerous! Who knows what he'll do?" Adrien warns him. "You have to get to safety!"
"Head up to your room now. You've had enough excitement for today. Nathalie, make sure they sleep there," Gabriel orders, and Adrien and Nino are escorted to the former's room. Mr. Agreste goes down the stairs and walks over to Ladybug. "I have to apologize for my son, Ladybug. He's like his mother. Way too overly dramatic."
"But he's right, you know," Ladybug says. "Simon Says is a real threat. You're in a lot of danger!"
"What could possibly happen with you here to protect me?" Mr. Agreste says, and the way he says it is enough to send chills down Ladybug's spine.
"You sure your old man isn't some robot or something?" Nino asks, following behind Adrien.
"When my father's concerned I'm never sure of anything," Adrien sighs, opening the door to his room. Nino's eyes widen at the size of it and at all the things found inside.
"Dude, no way this is your room," Nino says in absolute awe. "I've seen stadiums smaller than your room! Is that a rock-climbing wall? A pool table? Arcade games? You, my friend, are living the life."
"Yeah? I'd give it all up to have a dad who actually cared about me," Adrien says, slumping on his couch.
Nino sits next to his best friend and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't say that, man. I'm sure your dad cares a lot about you," he says. "He's just not good at showing it."
Adrien looks up at his friend and gives him a small smile. The sound of people screaming suddenly catches both boys' attention, and they both run to the window to see what's going on. Simon Says is at the entrance of the mansion, along with a crowd of people trying to break down the iron gate.
"I've got to warn my father!" Adrien screams, running out the door, followed by Nino. Adrien runs all around his house, kicking down every door to try to find his father and Ladybug. He finds them in his father's office, and they both turn around at the sudden entrance.
"He's coming, and he's got company!" Adrien says, panting heavily from all the running he's done. "Hold off all exits! They're coming from every direction! Engage the defense system, we need total lockdown!"
"Adrien, what are you—" Gabriel begins.
"Father, for once in your life, please just listen to me!" Adrien screams.
Gabriel obliges, activating the mansion's total lockdown defense system. Metal walls slide down the doors and windows, and Adrien sighs in relief.
"Lockdown engaged," says a robotic voice.
"They won't get in," Mr. Agreste says. "This house is built like a fortress." He then turns to Nathalie and says, "Escort Adrien to his room. We can't risk getting him in danger."
"Father, I'm fine right here with all of you!" Adrien fights. "You can't—"
"It's far too dangerous," Gabriel interrupts. "I need you to stay there so I know you're safe. I'll be sending your friend home once all the hypnotized people are gone."
"But—"
"Do as I say."
Adrien stomps out of the room, and Ladybug could only watch him go with a sad expression on his face. "Adrien…" she whispers.
Not too long after he leaves, Simon Says' victims manage to break down the iron gate.
"Emergency power on," says the same robotic voice from earlier.
"There are too many of them. Your defense system is failing!" Ladybug cries.
"This is impossible," Gabriel says, tampering with the system's buttons. "This has never failed me before—"
"I have to go get Adrien!" Marinette cries. "Sending him to his room alone was a bad idea, whether the system was going to fail or not!"
Gabriel Agreste's facial expression hardens, and he presses a button on his system's pad. The wall next to Ladybug slides open, and he instructs her, "Pick the controls in case you need to unlock an exit."
"Thank you," Ladybug says. "All three of you, go find someplace to hide! It's not safe in here!"
"No one tells me what to do. Not even a superhero," Mr. Agreste says.
Ladybug's left eye twitches. "Look, you're in danger just like everyone else. Stop pretending you're above us all and do what I tell you to!" After realizing what she just said, Ladybug's eyes widen at the sight of Gabriel's shocked face.
The man's face suddenly breaks out into a small smile. "Quite a temper," he says. "You remind me of someone…"
"Just get to safety," she says before rushing out of the room. Ladybug internally screams, "I can't believe I just yelled at my favorite fashion designer."
After looking into every room, Ladybug finally opens the right door to find Adrien looking out the window. His sad face can be seen reflected on it, and seeing him this way makes Ladybug's heart drop.
"Adrien," Ladybug says, making the blond turn around. "We have to get you to safety."
"Of course he listens to you," Adrien chuckles, yet there's bitterness behind it.
Ladybug starts walking towards him, stopping when the picture on his computer screen catches her eye. A beautiful woman with sunshine blonde hair, emerald green eyes and a charming smile is the background on his desktop.
Ladybug doesn't hear Adrien walk over to her, and she nearly jumps in surprise when he speaks up, "My mother on her seventeenth birthday. She's pretty, huh?"
"You have her smile," Adrien and Ladybug say at the same time.
Ladybug looks over at him with a smile, but it slowly disappears when she sees Adrien looking down at his mother's picture with glazed eyes.
"Adrien—?" Ladybug begins, but she's interrupted when the door to his room suddenly breaks down. A hoard of hypnotized people barges into the room, ready to charge at them. Ladybug looks over at Adrien and says, "Are you down to be partners again?"
"Of course," Adrien grins, knocking people over with a flip of his table. Ladybug launches her yoyo at the people, tying them all down and throwing them into Adrien's bathroom. She grabs Adrien's hand and pulls him out the door, pushing everyone out of the way to get to Gabriel Agreste's office.
Upon getting there, Adrien groans when he sees the room trashed and empty. "Just great," he sighs. "He got caught, didn't he?"
Ladybug slides open her compact and goes on live tv to see if he's at the studio with Simon Says. "Welcome to another exciting hour of The Challenge! Good evening again from Simon Says! Viewers, I've kept my promise. Here's Gabriel!" Simon Says announces to the camera.
Gabriel Agreste is dragged into the scene by Gorilla, who clearly still under Simon Says' control. "Simon Says… you are a butterfly!" the akumatized victim says, throwing a card at the fashion designer. Once he gets hit, Gabriel begins flapping his arms and running around the studio.
Adrien twitches at how ridiculous his father looks. "I'd be laughing if I didn't feel extremely uncomfortable," Adrien says, making Ladybug laugh.
"We better get there fast," Ladybug says, holding onto Adrien. "Hold on tight because we're going to be swinging to the other side of Paris."
Adrien holds on tightly to her, and Ladybug tries to ignore the rapid beating of her heart as she launches her yoyo and swings into the air.
Upon reaching the TV Studio, Ladybug and Adrien stand in front of the room Simon Says in filming. "The akuma has to be in one of his cards," Ladybug says.
"But which one?" Adrien asks. "There are so many of them."
"Guess we'll have to find out ourselves," Ladybug says, kicking the door open.
Simon Says turns to the door and smirks when he sees the superheroine and her partner for the day. "Ladybug, you can save him in exchange for your Miraculous," he says.
"In your dreams," Ladybug answers. "LUCKY CHARM!" Ladybug throws her yoyo in the air, and what comes down… is a regular, toy yoyo. "…A non-magical yoyo? What am I supposed to do with two yoyos?"
"Try to figure it out later," Adrien says. "We should focus on getting the cards first!"
With a nod, Ladybug spins her yoyo and runs towards the villain, followed by Adrien. "Simon Says your yoyo is useless!" the villain exclaims, throwing a card at her Lucky Charm. Ladybug hits the card with her magical yoyo, but it breaks after one hit, making the color drain from her face.
Simon Says sees Adrien running towards him and takes a card out of his deck. "Simon Says you're a chicken—" the villain begins, but Adrien kicks the card out of his hand before he could throw it.
"I'm not letting you control me!" Adrien says, eyeing his hypnotized father. "Not when he already does!"
Simon Says proceeds to throw cards at the blond, but Adrien manages to dodge each one. Ladybug slides over to all the fallen cards and starts ripping them up to hopefully free the akuma.
"Simon Says—" the akumatized victim starts.
"MIRACULOUS, SIMPLY THE BEST, UP TO THE TEST WHEN THINGS GO WRONG!" Adrien sings loudly so as to not hear what Simon has to say.
"It doesn't matter whether you can hear me or not, all that matters is what Simon says!" he cackles, activating all his cards. "Simon Says remove your Miraculous and give it to me!" Simon Says launches the cards at Ladybug, and seeing this, Adrien immediately throws himself at her to stop her from getting hit.
They end up rolling over a few times, and Adrien ends up on top of Ladybug when the rolling stops. He pushes himself off of her, standing up and reaching out a hand to help her up.
"S-sorry about that," he blushes. Face pink, Ladybug remains silent and grabs his hand so that he could help her up.
Simon Says notices Gabriel Agreste running around behind him and he throws a card at him, saying, "Simon Says… take off like an airplane!"
When he gets hit with the card, Mr. Agreste begins behaving like an airplane and exits through the door leading to the roof. "He's headed for the roof! We got to stop him before—" Adrien begins, but is stopped by Ladybug.
"This is our last chance to capture the akuma; I can't do it alone!" Ladybug says. "If we free Simon Says, we free Mr. Agreste too."
Adrien takes one last nervous glance at the door. "Then, let's not waste another minute," he says.
"And how will you defeat me without your yoyo?" Simon Says laughs. He activates a few cards and says, "Simon Says… it's over!" The cards turn black, and he shoots it at his enemies, who dodge them flawlessly.
"Follow my lead," Ladybug tells Adrien, who nods.
She starts running towards the villain followed by her partner, and deliver a strong kick to his stomach before he could make another attack. The impact of her kick makes Simon Says let go of his cards, and Ladybug uses her yoyo to lift Adrien up into the air. The blond catches the deck of cards and throws it to Ladybug, who catches it. The superheroine rips up the remaining cards, making a black butterfly flutter out of it.
"That's not possible! I made your yoyo useless!" Simon Says cries.
"This one, yes," Ladybug says, holding up her magical yoyo. "But not this one! MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" Ladybug throws her Lucky Charm in the air, and magic dust flies all over the place to return everything to its former glory, including her broken magical yoyo.
Ladybug captures the akuma with a quick whip of her yoyo, releasing a white butterfly instead. "Bye bye, little butterfly," she says as she watches it fly off.
"You make a good partner, Adrien," Ladybug says, holding up her fist. "Pound it?"
"Pound it," Adrien grins, bumping his fist with hers. His eyes widen, "My father!"
Ladybug and Adrien rush to the roof of the building, and the latter sighs in relief to see his father safe. Gabriel Agreste is standing at the very edge of the roof—if they hadn't captured the akuma any sooner, he could've jumped to his death.
The thought of losing his father as well makes Adrien stomach drop.
"Father, you're all right!" Adrien says, rushing over to him.
"Adrien? What are you doing outside of your room? I told you to stay safe," Gabriel Agreste says.
"The least you could do is thank me," Adrien mumbles. "Ladybug and I saved you. Ladybug did most of it though."
"I see," Gabriel says, turning to Ladybug. "Thank you for keeping my son safe."
By his words, Ladybug can tell that he really does love Adrien. There was no mention of his or anybody else's safety—only Adrien's.
Ladybug smiles. "No problem," she says, and her earrings gives off a warning beep. "I should get going. Take care, Mr. Agreste. Goodbye, Adrien."
"Bye, Ladybug," Adrien says, waving goodbye to her one last time before she swings off into the city.
Adrien turns back around to face his dad, only to find that he's already halfway to the door. He sighs, and follows behind him.
Adrien soon finds himself back at home, in the silence of his own room.
He's standing by the window, looking through the pictures he has of his late mother on his phone, finding it harder to fight his tears the more he scrolled. Plagg is sitting on his shoulder, looking up at his holder with a sad expression on his face.
The doorknob suddenly twists open, and Plagg dives into Adrien's pocket before he could be seen. Gabriel Agreste walks into the room, his face stone-cold as always. He walks over to Adrien, and unexpectedly pulls him in for a hug.
Adrien lets out a gasp of surprise, but once it all sinks it, he eases into his father's touch and hugs him back. The moment is cut short, however, when Gabriel suddenly pulls back.
"I never noticed your ring before," he says, grabbing his son's hand to take a better look at the silver ring.
"Is that the only thing you've never noticed about me?" Adrien frowns, pulling his hand away.
His father's face hardens. "I'm glad everything worked out for the best," he says before exiting his room. He gently shuts the door behind him, and Adrien is left in silence once again.
"Hey, Adrien."
"…Wait, are you talking to me?"
Adrien and Marinette are at the TV Studio, both invited by Nino to watch him DJ for another round. "Welcome back to everyone's number one game show, The Challenge! Last week, Nino Lahiffe won the challenge. So, let's welcome him back again. Come on out, DJ Nino!"
Marinette raises an eyebrow. "Who else would I be talking to?" she asks.
Adrien leans in close to her face and squints his eyes. "You're being awfully nice today. You didn't greet me rudely," he says, clamping a hand on her forehead. "Are you sick?"
"No, I'm not," Marinette says, gently pushing his hand away from her forehead, and Adrien almost has a heart attack. "Is me being nice so hard to believe?"
"You didn't even slap my hand away," Adrien says, clutching his chest. "Who are you and what have you done to my klutz?!"
"I just though we'd, you know," Marinette says with a small smile—a smile that sparks familiarity in Adrien's eyes. Before he could give it much thought, she continues, "We can at least get along for today, don't you think?" Marinette quickly adds, "For Nino! Th-the last thing I want is to disappoint Nino."
Adrien smiles. "Sure," he says. "I'm good with that."
"Only for today," Marinette adds. "Once it's over, we can go back to being the way we always are."
"I wouldn't want to delay our arguing any longer than that," Adrien laughs. "I've got way too many things to say to a klutz like you."
Marinette twitches. "How am I supposed to get along with you if you keep provoking me?!" she screams. "I let it go the first time, but now—!"
"Sh, the show's starting," Adrien says, placing a finger to his lips. He tries his best not to laugh when Marinette shoots him a death glare. But he turns away too fast before seeing the smile spread on her face.
"So we upped the challenge for you tonight, Nino," Alec, the host, says. "You're going to have to get two celebrities dancing instead of one! However, this time, you can choose your opponents."
"Oh, I'm going to pick two buds I know won't let me down," Nino grins. "Ladybug and Chat Noir!"
Adrien and Marinette's eyes widen.
"O-oh, man! I just remembered I have a photoshoot around this time!" Adrien laughs nervously. "I should get going or I'll be late!"
"Me too! I have… baby-sitting!" Marinette grins nervously. "It completely slipped my mind?"
Both teens run off in different directions to go transform into their alter egos. Not too long after, Chat Noir and Ladybug show up to the scene, both ready to join Nino onstage.
"Ready to lose, My Lady?" Chat Noir smirks.
"You mean, win?" Ladybug grins, making her way to the stage.
Nino begins DJ-ing after Alec introduces both superheroes, and Chat Noir and Ladybug soon find it too hard not to dance to the beat. They're dancing and singing to the song, and for once, they're both having fun instead of being in competition with each other.
While dancing, Chat Noir sneaks a glance at Ladybug, seeing her laugh and smile as she continues to move to the beat. For a split second, he sees his mother's smiling face, but somehow…
It didn't hurt as much.
end card
A/N: I'M ALIVE. I'm really sorry for the long wait! School's really been in the way, only now did I actually find some time to write. ;-; I had to change Jackady into Simon Says because Jackady is a pun on Jacques a dit, the French version of Simon Says. I couldn't make him say "Jackady says stop!" because if translated, it becomes, "Simon says, says stop!" LOL
And now, for the episode you've all been waiting for; Volpina's up next! I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I'm going to be writing two versions of Volpina. The first version will be an actual ending to this fanfic (followed by an epilogue), and the second version will be an open-ending in case I decide to write for Season 02. I can't believe it's already over. ;-;
Thank you for all the favorites, alerts, and especially the wonderful reviews! Thank you all for staying with me even when my updating schedule got all messed up! I can't thank you all enough! :')
Thank you for reading!
Akuma Capture:
Ladybug: 14
Chat Noir: 13
Next Episode: Volpina (Version 01)