Book Two: Chapter Four

Range

Dinner was a stiff affair. Father peppered him with questions of studies, modeling, extra circulars, tutors, and not once asked anything person about his ambitions. Not that he could voice any of the ones that really mattered. Sure Father, did you know I want to be with your mortal enemy until the day I die? Did you know I'd sacrifice my life for hers? That kind of talk didn't go over well.

After dinner, Adrien disappeared into his room. Sometimes he went out using Nino as an excuse, but then he had to track time and make sure he was seen returning. He'd placed his own security measures in the house to negate some of his father's and to protect his privacy. Technically he was old enough to move out, but any money he'd made modeling was in a trust, and he couldn't access that until he was twenty-five. His father assured that he'd have to rely on family money.

But he'd get to move out from under Father's constant watch as soon as he entered university. All he had to do was manage one more year of secrets and sneaking around, then he'd go to Marinette's top choice—Fashion School of Design and Luxury Business—and he'd have no problem getting in with her. Once there, they wouldn't have to hide like this. All they had to do was keep it secret from Hawkfather. He snorted, then groaned.

"What's wrong now, kid?" Plagg zipped out of his shirt pocket. "Are all new adults this mopey?"

"I can't take faking it all the time. Father knows nothing about my alter ego, or my girlfriend, or that I know that he knows who Ladybug is, or that I know his alter ego—"

"Calm down, don't give yourself an aneurysm." Plagg lounged mid-air. "You're doing great, Adrien. I mean it. This is a lot for anyone, and you've got it handled."

"It really weirds me out when you get all supportive." Adrian raised his eyebrow, but also smiled.

"I can be supportive and snarky. Watch," Plagg cleared his throat. "You're the best I've even seen at being a moody teenager who's late for a date."

Adrien flicked his eyes to his phone. "Crap. Plagg, claws out!"

Cat landed only ten minutes late at the quarry. Ladybug bunched her lips to the side and put her hands on her hips.

"I know, I know. I'm late," he said. She hadn't even said anything, yet he felt properly chastised.

"Not as late as Rena." Carapace paced in and out of Cat's view as he passed behind a bolder. "I'm getting seriously worried about her."

"We'll wait another ten minutes. Ryuko and Viperion are running late, too."

"What universe did we fall into where Carapace is first on a scene?" Cat bopped his elbow at Carapace's green shield.

Ryuko and Viperion joined them a moment later to a chorus of greetings. He tried to ignore that Viperion had extra color in his cheeks and Ryuko's lips looked extra pink. A trickle of envy made him sigh. They all stood at attention facing Ladybug, their leader and his future.

"We'll have to continue without Rena. Carapace, check in with her after training. Tonight, we're working on ability limits. Destroy, block, call the elements, whatever you need to test your limits. At the end of an hour I'll reset the damage." Ladybug brought her hand down sharply. "Go!" She rushed out and immediately attacked Viperion. He swiped his bracelet but then practiced defending and attacking. Ryuko flit into a burst of wind, then rained down torrentially onto Cat who was immediately soaked through.

Carapace jumped in with his circular shield at maximum around them both. Cat swore as a bolt of lightning blinded and deafened him. He'd been that close to lightning before and hated it then, too.

"There is no excuse for being unprepared. Enemies will attack regardless," Ryuko said in a flat know-it-all tone, but Cat could hear a touch of affection there.

"Try not to fry your allies," Ladybug reminded her and launched up to a rock outcropping, watching them practice.

"Cataclysm!" Cat hit Carapace's shield. It cracked. Carapace reset it and Cat Cataclysmed it again. Carapace was able to restore the shield a third time before it shattered under Cat's destruction. Three was about the time they'd both trigger the five-minute warning, but so far Cat was good.

Carapace held up a hand—their time out signal—and rest against a rock, his chest heaving. His Miraculous started to flash. "Damn," he said.

"Carapace good work. Go refuel and get back." Ladybug instructed.

Not for the first time, Ladybug didn't engage in the mock fighting. Tonight, he wanted to be close to her however he could. "Lady, you ready?"

"For wh—"

He pounced at her; hand aglow. Hitting someone with Cataclysm wouldn't destroy them, but it might crack a couple ribs. He really didn't want to hit her, but he wasn't trying not to, either.

She leaped above him, landing on another ledge. He disintegrated the stone under her. She skidded with the falling rocks like a surfer and did a full body twist over his head.

Still his ring didn't beep. Tonight, black cats were lucky.

"Cat, come on, I'm trying to watch the others." Her tone wasn't upset, but only a little amused.

"Pawdon me, M'lady, but you don't get to skip training just because you're beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. "If that's how you want to play. Lucky charm!" A pair of rollerblades and a small smoke bomb fell to her outstretched hands. His wasn't the only ability to grow stronger, though two items at a time was still rare for her.

She slid into the roller blades and streaked off across the smooth walls of the quarry. Cat couldn't keep up.

"Not fair M'lady!"

"It's not my fault you're slow." She laughed and skated between their allies, narrowly missing a mini lightening spark from Ryuko.

Even in his suit he was running out of breath. He still had one more Cataclysm, maybe two. Better make them count. He estimated her trajectory, but she popped the smoke bomb and filled the gully with thick, skunky cover. Plagg would have loved it.

But even like this he wasn't at a disadvantage. He crouched and closed his eyes. The sound of wheels grated across the stone. Grind, grind. Skid. Nothing. She was twenty yards ahead. He sprinted forward.

"Cata—" he reared his arm back "—clysm!" A rock seemed to jump out of the smoke, stopping him abruptly. The Cataclysm ejected from his palm, soaring in a streak of black shadow across the gully, disappearing into the smoke.

Ladybug shrieked.

"Shit! Ladybug!" Cat dashed over, skidding to a halt at her side as she curled in on herself, holding her left arm close to her chest. Ryuko blew away the smoke and Carapace jogged over; the mock battle forgotten.

"I'm fine. It's fine." Her voice sounded anything but fine. She refused to let any of them look at her arm. "It's just sore," she said again. Like hell it was. He'd been hit in the chest with his power once and it nearly knocked him out. "That's enough for tonight. Miraculous Ladybug!" The air cleared and half the rocks restored. Her rollerblades disappeared and she pushed herself up.

"Let me—"

Her voice dropped so only he could hear it. "I said it was fine." Right. This was the kind of thing she'd been talking about. He had to put her position first, then their relationship.

"Alright. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Carapace raised his hand like they were in class. "Did I just see you shoot a Cataclysm?"

Cat perked up, though half his attention was still on the way Ladybug cradled her arm. "I think so."

"Dude! That's awesome! You have range now. And how many times did you use it tonight?" Carapace pointed at Cat's blinking ring.

"Five this time." A new record. His ring flashed.

Ryuko looked impressed. "Incredible."

Ladybug lowered her arm and looked natural, but he could see tension in her eyes. "You all did wonderful work tonight. Head out before you transform back. Patrols this week are as assigned, but Carapace, let me know if Rena is in no shape to take her shifts. Good work." Without a second glance she flicked out her yoyo with her and slingshot back towards the city. A light misting rain started to fall.

"My pads are almost up. See you later." He used his staff to follow Ladybug, stopping off briefly in an alley to refuel Plagg and once again getting soaked. He wasn't sure if she'd go back home, or if it was bad enough to go to one of the nearby hospitals. Crap, he hoped he hadn't broken her arm.

She didn't respond to his communicator calls, so she must have detransformed already. He never meant to hurt her. Especially with some fluke of his ability. It's not like Master Fu had ever warned him he could throw a Cataclysm! Plagg was rather cagey about the extent of his ability, too, though he knew if Plagg used a Cataclysm on his own, it could take out most of the city.

At the roof of Marinette's home, he sprang down to find her sitting on the balcony lounge, breathing in hissing breaths while getting soaked in the rain.

"Hey."

She jerked her head up and put on a pained smile. "Hey you. Good work tonight."

"I don't call that good work. Plagg, claws—"

"Don't. We're too exposed up here."

"Then get inside, because I'm looking at that arm whether you like it or not." He pointed at her roof hatch.

"It's really fine. Just bruised."

He opened it, wishing this were under better, more suggestive circumstances. "In."

She looked up at the clouded sky, water misting her cheeks. "I can't keep up." Her voice was so soft it scared him a little.

"What do you mean?" He let the hatch close so her bed didn't get soaked.

"You're all progressing so quickly. What you did tonight?" She knocked her head against the wall behind her. "I'm still the same little Ladybug while you're all running ahead." She laughed without humor.

"M'lady, it's not like that at all. You've always had more power. We're just catching up." He sat next to her and she leaned onto his shoulder. He needed to get her out of the rain. She cradled her arm, but he didn't have the heart to keep up the tough love approach. Sometimes he forgot she was still the clutzy Mariette who'd loved him for over a year before he'd ever noticed. More importantly, she was still human. Her mask as Ladybug made her seem larger than life, greater than him or any villain they could possibly face. Knowing she was comfortable being this vulnerable with him made him forget the rain. Impossible as it seemed, he loved her even more when she trusted him like this.

"It's been five years since Master Fu chose us."

"Five years of adventure and finding each other." He kissed her temple, which made her smile.

"I don't want to let you all down."

"Impossible." He leaned down to kiss her when his staff and her phone pinged at the same time. He opened his staff and she leaned in to watch.

The screen lit with fire and twisted metal. Nadia stood in front of the blaze looking battered, giving a report by holding out her cell phone. "This is Nadia Chumak, reporting live from a multi-car pileup on Boulevard Raspail. Emergency services are on their way but seem to be stalled by an overturned truck. Multiple people are trapped in their vehicles as the fire spreads. If any of Paris's heroes are out, we need you."

Cat flipped his staff closed. "Your arm going to be okay?"

"For this? Tikki, spots on!" She flashed in neon pink light, then Ladybug bounced ahead of him to the balcony railing, twisting back to grin at him. "Ready kitty-cat?"

He leaned in towards her. "Anytime."

She brought her lips close to his. He puckered up, then she dropped off the rail and hooked her yoyo on the next building over, soaring away from him. He grinned and immediately followed.