Chapter Two: Ruff Go Of It

(Season 3 spoiler warning)

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"Give me a break," Marinette mumbled to herself as she approached her art teacher. Luckily, she'd had Mr. Fayette last year and he was well versed with her "problem."

"Sorry sir, I need to use the rest room."

His grey eyes were kind as he nodded. "Go ahead. Take all the time you need."

Marinette grabbed her bag and headed out. It was Adrien's fault for the lame excuse. He'd almost been caught transforming once while trying to sneak off in the middle of class and since then insisted they have built in reasons to leave. In truth the excuse helped her truancy rate plummet, but her parents kept insisting she go to a doctor for her "stomach issues."

Adrien's excuse was far more dignified and mostly true: he landed a contract with a new modeling agency that required sudden jobs and last-minute interviews. Technically the company was required to give him a day's notice, but the school didn't need to know that.

She transformed in the women's bathroom and leaped out the window. Cat caught her mid-jump and adjusted until they were side by side, clinging to his staff as he raised them above the school's roof.

"The alert mentioned the Louvre," she said, scanning the city.

"Second source said the arc." He grinned down at her, then nodded out towards the Arc de Triomphe. To the east a building's façade cracked, rising a cloud of dust.

"Bingo." Ladybug pushed off from Cat, using her yoyo to guide her. It was a rush to swing free like this with Cat close behind. He was nothing more than a blurred shadow in the daylight while she was a red flare. Not to mention he cut a fabulous silhouette. She shook herself. Right, pay attention!

They landed along the Champs-Élysées, a path of cracked concrete and marred building reaching out towards a nearby park. The Sentimonster took the shape of a massive burgundy breedless dog with long shaggy hair and oversized teeth. It snarled and ripped up trees while batting cars from its path. Citizens ran in all directions. A young man wearing a school uniform was about to get trampled. She lassoed him and yanked him towards her. He landed hard on his butt and looked up at Ladybug with wide eyes.

"Ladybug. Marry me."

"She's spoken for," Cat said rushing forward to prod the massive dog away from other citizens.

Ladybug urged the young man to safety. Sentimonsters became an intermittent problem two years ago, after the peacock Miraculous disappeared. Master Fu didn't think Duusu had been stolen, since the other Miraculouses were still safe inside the Miracle Box. When they defeated Hawkmoth, Tikki and Plagg healed Duusu, but their combined power inhibited her ability to stay inside her Miraculous. It was likely she wandered off and was coaxed to give over her pin.

The dog snapped at Ladybug and she leaped back. "Easy there. Do you see anything?" she called to Cat.

He slinked behind a tree and poked his head out. "Not yet."

Come on. She jumped high, landing on the dog's ruffled scruff. He growled and bucked like a bull, but she was out of reach. The long hair tangled around her feet and she fell to her knees. She couldn't spot anyone not panicking nearby, but someone must have had a strong canine-inspired emotion for a Sentimonster like this.

"Hey there, need a hand?" The song of a flute was followed by a large rubber ball bounced just out of the dog's reach. Its attention immediately snapped to the ball and it lurched after it. Ladybug flung back at the sudden acceleration. Rena Rouge landed next to her with a soft salute and untangled Ladybug's feet.

"Good timing, as usual." Ladybug dusted off her suit, sweeping away a handful of dog hair.

"I aim to please." They leaped down, rolling as they hit the ground and popping back to their feet.

"We haven't found the object or person yet."

The dog snapped at the ball, which promptly disappeared, enraging it further. "Bad attitude on this one." Rena cringed at the dog but smiled when Carapace intercepted the two of them.

"Ladies." He held up his shield. "Need a hand?"

"Keep it distracted." Ladybug took off towards Cat. He'd managed to capture the dog's attention by tapping one side of its shaggy head with his staff, then the other. It might have been mistaken as having fun, if not for the crazed growls. Rena and Carapace pulled at tuffs of fur on the dog's tail and were rewarded with occasional snaps.

"Did you try the collar?" Cat prodded an oversized paw away from him with his staff.

"You mean the invisible one? Sure. No problem." Ladybug teased. He made a face.

"There's a kid in the park, but he doesn't look upset. Hold up, just had an idea." Cat darted out. "Hey there big boy. Meow!" He flicked his tail and the Dog lunged. "Oh wow, this one's not kitten around!"

Ladybug tried not to roll her eyes. Tried. Cat called his Cataclysm and palmed the cement at his feet. The ground buckled. Mondo-dog yelped and fell, making her heart squeeze. Hopefully the fella was okay. Wait, this was not even a real dog, she reminded herself.

"That should hold him for a bit."

"I'll go check on the kid, you three keep it away from the crowd." With quick agreement, Ladybug leaped up, swinging over the trees and down into a park with a small fountain. The water was cheery next to the snarls rolling through the trees.

A kid sat alone on a bench with a cap pulled low over his brow. He had scuffed jeans and worn shoes and couldn't have been older than ten.

"Hey there."

The kid started, then quickly swiped at his cheeks. "Ladybug, what are you doing here?"

"Wondering why you look so blue. What happened?" The ground rumbled and Ladybug guessed the house-sized dog had managed to free himself. The kid seemed unscathed for being hit with an Amok.

"My dog died. He was old. I shouldn't cry, but..." He trailed off, more tears welling in his light blue eyes. She put an arm around his narrow shoulders, quickly assessing the objects on his person.

"It's always okay to cry when you're sad or hurting. It's brave of you to have loved your dog so much." There, sticking out of his left pocket was a woven strap. "Sorry, but I need to see that." She reached out but the kid jerked back, his eyes calculating her reach. He then howled. His eye turned yellow and his teeth elongated. She leaped back.

"Lucky charm!" A set of tongs. Great. Stupid Amok advancement! Not every human altered with a strong Sentimonster, but the ones that did were more a danger to themselves than her.

The kid-wolf ran at her on all fours, swiping out with his nails. She dodged. His left hook caught her by surprise, slicing her cheek with a nail. She better not become a werewolf now. Still her vision lit up with the strap dangling from his pocket, but he was too quick.

The tongs, strap, and then the bench joined her vision as she outran the wolf-boy. She circled the fountain and jumped over the back of the bench, sticking the tongs upright in a gap between the boards. The wolf-kid tore after her. He leaped, hooked a toe on the bench, and tumbled forward, landing in a heap on the ground at the bench's feet.

Ladybug doubled back behind him. He pushed back, sitting on the bench as he redirected to face her. She slid underneath, pinched the exposed end of the tongs, and grabbed on to the strap. When the kid jumped back up, the strap was hers. She snaked it through the bench and ran.

The thundering steps of the massive dog grew louder as she cleared the tree. It had Cat's staff in its jaw and he was flinging Cat around.

"Cat! Do your thing!" She threw the strap, or rather, dog collar.

He released his hold on the staff and landed. "Cataclysm!" He caught the collar. She envied his increased power yet again. For months now he'd been ahead of her.

The strap disintegrated and a feather floated free. She caught it, turning the feather from mottled black to pure white, and set it free. The dog disappeared into mist. Rena and Carapace slumped their shoulders, breathing hard.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" The shimmer of her ladybugs fixed the damage done to the street and buildings, then returned the collar back to whole.

"I know a kid who will be looking for this." She led the way back through the trees, her earrings already beeping. Cat walked beside her; his ring unbothered by his multi-Cataclysms. Rena and Carapace equally unfazed.

The kid looked perplexed by the bench and jumped when he saw them all.

"I'm sorry I had to take it without permission." She knelt by him and handed it out.

The child took it carefully, hugging it to his chest. "I miss Ruby so much."

"I'm sure Ruby loved you just as much."

"I'm sorry you've had it ruff." Cat waited, then grinned. The kid split a smile, which made Ladybug sigh in relief. He'd be okay.

"Let's get you home." She opened her arms to him, but he walked to Cat instead. She put her hands on her hips and harrumphed.

"Now, now, M'lady, don't get jealous." He winked at her. "Get back before you detransform," he warned, nodding at her softly beeping earrings.

Yeah, yeah, rub it in. She was still getting used to him not being in a rush. With the kid in his arms, Cat took off, leaving Ladybug with Carapace and Rena. They waited patiently for instructions. They followed her rules better than Cat ever had, and she never regretted giving them their Miraculouses full time.

"You two okay?" As the Guardian this past year it was her job to look out for them, make sure they were diligent on their training and the rules. The ones that Master Fu had instilled in her before he forgot them all and left her as the new Guardian.

"Never better." Rena grinned.

"You're both set on potions?"

"Ready to use at a moment's notice. Haven't needed them for a while." Carapace shrugged.

"Right, of course." Ladybug pinched her lips to the side, but there was no reason to hold them back.

"Your earrings..." Rena pointed to her own lobes.

"Yes. I know. You two be good." She aimed for home and launched her yoyo out until it tightened around a streetlamp. She pulled it and flung forward. It felt like flying, but she still couldn't clear her head. It had been months since anyone but her still suffered from this adolescent curse of one and done. What was she doing wrong?

Master Fu hadn't had time to train her as a Guardian before Mayura cornered him. It was Ladybug's carelessness that led to his lost memory. Now with the other Guardians restored, she was under their investigation. It wasn't her fault she hadn't been trained, but she had been trusted with the Miracle Box, and she wasn't going to betray her master's wishes.

She made it about five feet above her rooftop balcony when her transformation gave out. She squealed and hit the deck hard, her legs buckling under the impact. Luckily her generous butt—she blamed Dad's macarons— made a great pad and once she stopped bouncing, she sprawled back and let out a huff.

"Sorry, Marinette. I couldn't hold on." Tikki rose up like a wilting flower.

Marinette held out her hands and cupped her best friend to her. "Not your fault. If I were stronger this wouldn't be a problem.

"You're the strongest person I know. If you weren't under so much stress, I'm sure things would be different."

Maybe, but she wasn't and they weren't. Marinette didn't reply and instead gave Tikki the cookie from her purse. As things were right now, Marinette was a potential liability for her allies. She couldn't hold her transformation, and technically her identity wasn't safe. Not that Gabriel had betrayed their deal, but it was a little bee in the back of her mind, reminding her at times like this that she was definitely working on borrowed time. There were only three months left now until the Guardians made their final decision. She let out a moan and covered her eyes with her arm.

"What are you doing down there M'lady?" Cat's voice sounded a moment before his soft feet landed on the deck. She wasn't sure, but she thought he sat down next to her.

"Seemed as good a place as any to overthink. You?" Sure enough, when she moved her arm, her kitty was right next to her. He brushed back a bit of her hair with a clawed finger. She preferred it when he touched her skin to skin.

"Plagg, claws in." Light cascaded off him as he turned back, as if reading her thoughts.

"You should stay transformed in the open like this." She couldn't quite make her tone too admonishing.

"No one is going to see over your railings and the lounge." He spun and lay down with her, his temple touching hers. She loved the smell of his vanilla espresso shampoo. It had taken him ages to suss out a scent to cover up Plagg's cheese addiction. He tipped his head to look at her. "M'lady, are you okay?"

She snuggled into his side. "I am now." Besides, the mask was off, and all the problems it brought could be ignored for a little while. It wasn't often she got to steal moments like this with Adrien. His skin was so soft against hers. His warmth seeped in like hot chocolate on a winter's day. She caught him looking at her, his eyes the fresh green of new grass. She could stare forever. Honestly, she had been ever since they first met.

"Not to break up the romance, but you got any cheese?" Plagg crossed his arms. Tikki gave him a little shove. "What?"

"Try down in the bakery's fridge. We might have some brie if nothing else."

"I'll go with him and make sure he doesn't eat the whole wheel." Tikki offered.

Not that Marinette minded being left alone with Adrien, but they didn't have to be so obvious about it.

With them gone, Adrien rolled to his side and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She played with his hair again, letting the long pieces drape over his eyes and forehead. He took her hair out of the messy bun—it still went into short pigtails when she transformed, which had been annoying her lately. Now her hair was tangled and greasy, but he didn't seem to mind and fisted his hand in it, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

"Gross."

"Plagg, shut up." Tikki's squeaky voice made Marinette pull away from the heat rising in her. Three years of secret dating made her long for more than sneaking around on rooftops and superhero late nights.

"I need to get home before my parents notice." He kissed her nose, which was sweet, but also not nearly what she wanted. "Plagg, claws out." The green glare blinded her. When she could see again, Cat lay next to her, his hair a messy version of Adrien's current style. Even his hair no longer obeyed the transformation limits.

"Where'd your bell go?" She pushed up and realized his costume was still his, but also different. Accents set off his shoulders, his chest-which now looked so chiseled she felt an undeniable need to touch it. He chuckled when she did.

"I don't know. I guess it wasn't what I wanted anymore. Plagg once said the costume was what I wanted deep down."

"And how am I supposed to find you if you don't jingle?" She poked his stomach. He'd been putting on muscle lately, probably for his modeling, but it was getting distracting.

"I'll find you." He kissed her cheek, then her mouth, then her neck. It was dangerous to let him continue.

"Go home kitty." Yes, she really was that breathy, and no, she didn't care.

"Love you, Bug."

"Go."

He hopped to the balcony rail, then fell straight backwards with a wink.