I just wanted to let you all know that SakuraMarie drew pictures of the characters from Stupendous (the Miraculous rip-off movie featured last chapter)! You can find the art by typing 'sakuramarie' into the search bar on Tumblr!
That is all.
Diving
Chat Noir locked eyes with Ladybug as they hurdled through the air, watching the ground rush toward them at an alarming pace. They seemed quite bored for people who were essentially tumbling to their deaths.
"You know…when they said it was a skydiving akuma, I didn't take the threat seriously," he admitted, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout over the air rushing by their faces.
"Yeah? Me neither!" Ladybug called back.
The wind whipped her bangs straight upward and out of her face, giving her an odd upside down appearance.
"What?" he shouted back, having missed a lot of what she said.
Neither of them bothered to speak again until the magical parachutes attached to their backs deployed, allowing them to softly float the rest of the way to the ground.
"You know, it was scary the first…five or so times. After that, plummeting to our doom kinda lost its thrill," Chat Noir drawled, crossing his arms over his chest rather than clinging to the parachute like a normal person would.
Ladybug looked just as unimpressed as she glared at a brightly colored speck on the ground.
Sky DieVer came into view, cackling as he watched them drift down to Earth for the billionth time that day. He aimed his hand at them, and Ladybug narrowed her eyes in determination and nodded at Chat Noir.
She called for Lucky Charm; in a flash of light, a pen materialized and dropped into Ladybug's waiting hands. Meanwhile, Chat Noir promptly snipped the lines of their parachutes with his claws before SkyDieVer was able to send them into free-fall again.
Ladybug swung in a graceful arc, landing in front of the villain with a determined gleam in her eye. Sky DieVer seemed a bit frustrated that she had escaped him, as his eyebrows were furrowed in agitation.
"No matter, I'll just send you back into freefall," the man remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"You'll have to catch me first!" she challenged before leaping into action. She dodged his attacks with expert skill, throwing punches and kicks of her own to keep the man on the offensive.
A flash of black registered in her peripheral vision, and a confident grin spread across her face. She tossed the pointy end of the spotted pen to her left, where it popped a rather loud balloon.
Sky DieVer flinched in surprise, allowing Ladybug to land a solid kick to his stomach. Chat Noir was already in place to catch the man. The cat boy used his Cataclysm to dissolve the straps of the Akuma victim's parachute pack, and the man dropped to the ground as he tossed the remains of the bag to Ladybug.
She easily ripped the dilapidated fabric in half, releasing the butterfly so she could capture and cleanse it. After the Miraculous Cure returned every involuntary skydiver to their original location, the heroes' fists met in their traditional victory cry.
The newly grounded citizens that littered the streets demonstrated their gratitude with a deafening round of applause. Chat Noir grinned and gave a lighthearted bow to the cameraman who had jostled his way to the front.
Ladybug narrowed her eyes when it caused a noticeable uproar of girlish screeching.
In a whirl of motion, the spotted superheroine grabbed Chat Noir's bell and yanked him down to eye level.
"After all that skydiving today, I think I've fallen for you," she remarked with a devilish smirk at her pun.
His slitted eyes sparkled with childlike glee as he registered her play on words.
"My Lady! A pun and a pickup line," he very nearly squealed in his excitement.
"What can I say, Kitty? You're purrfect," she flirted.
The crowd around them erupted into excited whispers and surprised giggles, but Ladybug didn't seem to notice.
Chat Noir's grin widened, and he leaned forward until their noses were touching, "Are you trying to ask meowt, Bugaboo?"
Ladybug's eyes widened with surprise.
"The date!" she shrieked, releasing his bell and stepping away with urgency. For once, he didn't seem to deflate at the loss of contact.
"If we leave now, we might be able to make it just a few minutes late," Chat Noir remarked, coiling like a spring as he prepared to make a break for it. Ladybug nodded and tossed her yoyo out.
Soon, Marinette and Adrien were rushing up the steps to the fancy restaurant they'd made reservations to several weeks ago. The pigtailed girl's stomach growled loudly as he held the door open for her.
"I'm sorry, but you are both fifteen minutes late. Your reservations are forfeited according to company policy," the man at the desk explained with an apologetic smile.
Adrien frowned unhappily but nodded his understanding. Marinette gave the man a bright smile and looped her arm through her boyfriend's, "It's okay. We can go get ice cream instead."
They turned to leave, ever courteous, though their stomachs were churning with hunger. The man called out to them just as they reached the door, "Wait, Mr. Agreste!"
Adrien turned back to him with a polite smile, "Yes sir?"
"The seven o' clock reservation for a Mr. Adrien Agreste never showed up, so we have a free table if the two of you would like to be seated," the man explained with a conspiratory wink.
Marinette beamed and practically dragged Adrien back to the counter.
"Thank you so much, sir!" she exclaimed. The blond boy also conveyed his gratitude as the man led them to a table with a great view of the city streets. The table was set with a lovely candlelit centerpiece and sophisticated glassware.
The shadows flickered across their faces, giving the situation a more intimate feel despite the sophisticated nature of the restaurant. The waitress arrived and took their orders, retreating back to the kitchen to fetch the appetizer they'd ordered.
The hungry superheroes ravenously tore into the appetizer after it arrived. Directly after finishing it, they acted as if they had been nothing but well mannered.
"So… I liked that pick up line," Adrien began; green eyes alight with amusement as he regarded his lovely girlfriend.
Marinette flipped her hair theatrically, "I knew you would."
He tapped his chin pensively, "I do regret that we didn't get to finish that conversation though."
The dark haired girl snorted, "I couldn't think of anything else to say anyway."
He chuckled, and a light blush colored his cheeks.
"I-I thought you were gonna kiss me at first. When you gr-grabbed my bell, I mean," he stammered, looking quite embarrassed.
Marinette giggled and rested her chin in her hand, "I wasn't sure what to do; I kinda did it without thinking."
"Hey. Doing stuff without thinking is supposed to be my job," he remarked with a humorous lilt to his voice.
Marinette snickered, "Maybe we should both look before we leap?"
Adrien's intense gaze caused her breath to catch in her throat, "Have I told you how much I love you? Cause I'll shout it to the heavens if I need to."
Marinette hummed thoughtfully, "That 'heavens' pun really fell short, Adrien. You're losing your touch."
The blond boy's eyes widened. "You're perfect. I don't deserve you." He breathed, awestruck.
The pigtailed girl giggled loudly, and Adrien joined in simply because her laughter was contagious.
"If I knew the way to your heart was through puns and cheesy pickup lines, I would've done this a lot sooner," she teased.
"You are my heart, Mari," he flirted; his expression was vulnerable despite the grandeur of his words.
A gagging sound emitted from Adrien's suit pocket.
The teenagers laughed, their voices blending together in an intricate duet that seemed just as natural as crashing waves or the wind whistling through the trees.